Changing How It Could Be
by Tightropes to the Sun
Summary: Instead of going to the future Donatello's brothers have returned to the past to prevent his sudden disappearance, the boys aren't only battling each other but their younger counter parts, time, a prophecy from the Tribunal, and a blood thirsty crime lord who wants to see nothing more than their demise. Only a days work for the Leaders of Rebellion de Turtle. /SAINW reference/
1. Skipping Roots

Changing How It Could Be

Prologue: Skipping Roots

A/N: This story has racked my brain for a long time and I finally found the courage to post it. Hopefully you guys like it. This story is AU but it's mostly based on the Same as it never was ep. All feedback is welcome!

I own nothing.

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"Does everyone know the plan?"

Michelangelo stayed in the back of the ground with his arm resting at his side. His baby blue's were dim and cold. He was no longer the playful joker but a boy forced into adult hood because of the hardships that had his family had been thrown through during the last thirty years. He watched his eldest sibling as if he were going to disappear and a part of him wished he would.

The younger turtle down casted his eyes and let out a slow breath. He allowed the rotten air to fill his lungs before exhaling. This was never going to work. He knew it, April knew it, and his pig headed brother knew it.

Evidently no one had enough balls to come out and knock Leo back down off his pedestal. No matter, the orange bandanna turtle no longer held his tongue against his oldest brother, not when so many lives were in danger.

Mikey pushed his bandanna up onto his forehead and marched to his eldest brother." This plan is ludicrous, why are you willing to risk the lives of everyone in this room when you know their other alternative!" He meant to raise his voice but it only came out as a timid growl.

Leonardo, still considered the authority figure within the group even though he had lost his touch just a smug, met his youngest brother with a tedious smile. He would give anything to actually look into Mikey's eyes and reassure him that everything would be alright, but he no longer had the belief or the means to lie. Being blind left little room for the former fearless leader to come up with dangerous strategies that would not only endanger the lives of the people closest to him but the very foundation that was keeping their small rebellion alive.

He let out a small sigh and places his hand, or he hoped he had, on his brother's shoulder. "You know why we can't even consider that, Mikey, Yes Donnie meant for us to use it but only as a last resort. He wouldn't want us-"

"What the hell would you call a last resort, Leo? Was master Splinter and Casey's death not enough for you?"

The whole group froze, a silence spreading through the people like the smog casting in the air. The deaths of the inner family were something never talked about or even thought about. It became too hard to work and fight with the lingering thought of their master and close friend in the back of their minds. The guilt made it impossible to take the necessary steps to achieve their goals.

Michelangelo knew this all too well. It had been years before he could look at either of his brothers. For the longest time he had blamed them both for not only Donnie's disappearance but for Master Splinter's death. Of course he knew it wasn't their fault, their father had risked his life to help his sons and no one knew what actually had become of their genius brother. He was just gone one day. Without a trace.

The orange clad turtle knocked his brother's hand from his shoulder and turned away, the poncho vanishing his only arm. "Donnie wouldn't have wanted us to sit here and do nothing. We need to do this. "Mikey narrowed his eyes at his scarred feet, "When my brother return come and find me. " He vanished out of the room and into the dark streets of a now run down New York City.

-TMNT-

Mikey was furious. Here they had the chance to go back and change everything. Make everything better and Leo was standing there with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face.

Damn Leo!

Who was he to get away with shooting down his idea? Going back to change what happened would mean better lives for the people they were fighting for. They wouldn't have to fight in a war that shouldn't have begun in the first place. Why couldn't he see that?

The orange ninja turtle ran across rooftops well aware of the awaiting dangers. Years ago The Shredder had had the foot set up traps on all the buildings, sewers and anywhere his brothers would wind up. It made grabbing resources difficult but at the moment Mikey didn't care. He needed to blow off his steam before he went back and strangled his brother.

The youngest turtle leapt, swung and dodged the explosives as he set them off. Really it was just another test for him. Another reminder of how cruel the world was now. Stopping at the back of the old pizza palace, Mike sat to collect his thoughts and to catch his breath. He missed Donnie. At times like this his brother would have wrapped his arm around his shoulder, smiled, and said that everything was going to be alright. Everything would work itself out in the end.

Donnie's disappearance was so sudden. They woke up on morning to discover that their brother was missing. They searched all of New York and not a single sign of him turned up. It was like he didn't exist. This wasn't true because upon questioning LH he too noticed the lack of appearance by his science buddy. After a week Leo had given up the search, stating that if Don wanted to found they would have already discovered his whereabouts.

Mikey couldn't help but feel he had failed his brother. He was closest with the purple turtle, they were best friends and yet Mike had no idea where he gone to.

"The world doesn't work like that anymore Don..." Mikey whispered against the wind, letting it carry the message to where his brother was.

Having collected his wits, the ninja slipped back into the shadows and made his way over to the make shift apartment he had required shortly after the team parted ways. It wasn't much compared to the lair but it was better than nothing. In the beginning, he found it hard to live on his own. His whole life, Mikey had learned to rely on his brothers and work as a team at whatever task Master Splinter threw at them. Being separated put a new perspective on his life.

Now he didn't want nor need their help. He was fine on his own.

Michelangelo slipped through the open window and placed his poncho on the chair near the fireplace. The old thing hadn't worked in years but it still brought a comforting feel to the room. However right away he noticed something wasn't right. It was too quiet. Clunk usually mewed by now, the dang feline couldn't be quiet to save her life.

Mikey slipped the small Shuriken out from the pouch on leather strap on his shell and took aim.

"Whoo, be careful with that big guy, you could poke someone's eye out. "

Raphael might have looked unaffected by the drastic change but you didn't have to dig too deep to discover that the turtle had changed. His anger grew and eventually consumed him until it became too much to handle. Mikey had to pull his brother back to prevent him from taking Leo's life. After that his second oldest brother vanished and he hadn't been seen since.

From what Mikey could tell his physical form was intact, his left eye was still stitched shut from when The Shredder launched his attack on Splinter and small scars lined his body but other than the visible, his angry brother seemed normal.

He narrowed his eyes and walked past Raph to retrieve the Shuriken now lodge in the wall. "What are you doing here?" Mikey slipped the weapon under the book cover and turned his over protective brother. "It's been ten years, Raph, I didn't expect you back so soon. "

"Can it with the sarcasm, Mikey. " He watched as his older brother ran his fingers through the orange pelt of his cat. The original Klunk had passed away years ago but Mikey couldn't bare to live by himself so he went looking for another cat to keep him company. "I'm here to help you."

Who did Raphael think he was? Returning after ten years with nothing and bossing him around like when they were young. Mikey was no longer the scared little boy tucked in his shell, years of war and terror had changed him and he would be more than happy to make that point perfectly clear to his idiot brother just as soon as he got Klunk out from under his hands.

The younger turtle took the cat from his brother and placed her on the chair, "I don't want your help. " He muttered, fighting against the urge to clench his visits together. He couldn't help but flinch when Raph placed his hand on his shoulder; it was too familiar, almost...comforting. Forcing himself to meet his brother's gaze, Mikey curved the corner of his lips into a smile and his breathing all but stopped at the next words that left Raphael's mouth.

"We are going to do what Donnie wanted us to do. With or without Leonardo's help. "


	2. Sick Turtles and Missing Links

AN: sorry for the lack of bating in this chapter, but I'm going to be working for the next four days or so which means no time to send to my editor. Once she does finish it ill post the better chapter

All feedback welcome!

I own nothing

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[Present Day New York]

One of the worst things about being a genius is claiming to know everything. Donatello never actually came and said that he knew everything, he didn't have to. He knew all there was to know about machines and maniacs. That was just how his brain worked. Once he got going on something it was difficult for him to stop, he had to take apart whatever he had his eye on and expect every detail of it. He wouldn't be content until he knew absolutely everything about whatever he was doing.

That was what kept him going as a ninja. Even though he would get better, Donnie knew there was always room for improvement. The art of ninjitsu was always changing, shifting into other techniques and expectation. No matter how difficult it was for him to understand, Don always fought on. He could never give up on something that always kicked his shell. He was nowhere near Leo's level and barely scrapped by Mikey on a good day.

But didn't he make up for that with his smarts? Donnie was always trying to figure out new ways to improve the lives of his family. Whether it was a new vehicle for them to travel to the surface with or a system to protect the lair they called home, Donatello was always willing to fight to help his family.

Whenever he got sick, however, he couldn't find it in him to fight past his own obstacles. Really he just wanted to lay in his bed with the latest chapter to whatever book he had cracked open and just rest but he couldn't.

Master Splinter was sick again, fighting off whatever disease happened to fight past his defences, Mikey had once again broken one thing or another and Leo was looking for ways to improve Don's natural instincts. Raphael was the only one whom seemed to not need him for anything.

Naturally sleeping and getting better wasn't a option. He just had too much to do. His family depended too much on his know how, being out of commission wouldn't help anyone and they couldn't afford to not be ready.

The genius had spent the last 48 hours trying to piece together a new security system that not even the smartest people in Shredders arsenal could break through. It was based on a complex series of codes he had 'borrowed' from a lab in Sweden. Of course he had to make sure to leave no trace of evidence of his identity in the system.

A certain mechanism would trigger an alert and send it back to a monitor in his lab when a unexpected visitor made way into the surrounding area around their home. That was if he could get the damn thing to coroperate. Anytime he tried connecting to sever, the system would crash, sometimes it left them without power for hours.

Master Splinter wasn't to happy about that but once he was able to get the power back on, Sensei went back to watching his soaps and stopped harassing him.

"Mother of-" Donnie growled, snapping his hand back faster than a king cobra's strike, as a spark flew from the base. He held his hand to his chest and sighed deeply.

Why could he get the damn thing to work?

The large steel door concealing him from the rest of the world slid open and his eldest brother walked in, his twin katana left in the training room. His dark brown eyes were worried and alert just like any good leader. "You alright, Don?" Leonardo's chest rose and fell as he stood in the door way.

Donnie rose his head from his stinging hand to meet his brother's concerned gaze. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? "he asked, pushing his goggles up to the top of his head to show his own chocolate hues.

"You swore. "His brother pointed out, titling his head to the side, "I thought something was wrong. "

Leonardo has always been the worrywort of the family. He was always worrying about everyone else and putting himself last. He was the type of guy to think about his family first and only think about himself once he was on his sick-bed.

Don could remember things in his childhood that made him grateful for having his older brother around. Leo had saved his shell more times than he could count but his mother hen antics left little room for him to explore his love.

It took a good kick in the butt to get his older brother to see that he was fine, regardless of his weak immune system.

The purple ninja felt his cheeks flush under his brother's glare. "Oh...the system blew a spark and shocked me. It was just a jolt. I'm fine. "he reassured him with a smile.

Donatello flinched back as his brother placed the back of his hand against his forehead, "You're burning up. "he turned away and swatted the leader's hand away.

"I'm fine. "

"Donnie."

"Leo."

The two stared at each other, neither willing to give in. Finally the blue ninja sighed and shook his head. "Would you at lease rest while we go up top?" He asked.

Don waved his brother off and nodded, "I will after LH comes over."

Both parties knew the younger turtle wasn't going to rest, especially once Leatherhead came over. When both scientist got together they could be up for days without a break.

"Really, I'm fine, fearless."

"Alright, if you're sure."

Donnie watched as his brother hovered for a moment before he slipped out of the lab into the dinner area. He listened as his three brothers arguing for a second and once again was left with his thoughts.

-TMNT-

Three hours passed since his brothers left for their daily scout through the city and Don was still stuck in the same place. His finger tips had been burnt to a crisp and his frustration level was rising. He couldn't quit. Not when he was so close to making his family another level safer. He wouldn't stop until he figured this damn thing out.

Leatherhead was bound to be at the lair any second and Donnie knew an extra pair of hands would really come in handy. He usually did his best problem solving when LH was helping him.

But now he was having a difficult time concentrating. He decided maybe a nice cup of herbal tea would help.

He left the project and made his way into the kitchen. Their lair had come along way since they first found it, before it was nothing but crumbled down rock with a decent foundation. At least now they had a fully functioning kitchen, which Mikey took full advantage of.

It had taken the genius three weeks to have the water supply running safely and only two days for his brothers to destroy it. In a way he was grateful, it left room to improve and make it all the better.

Don had discovered an underground piping system that ran through the lair, the pipes had been rusted and needed to be stripped and updated but it gave the young turtle something to do for 6 1/2 months while he wasn't training.

During this time he had Raph help his build the foundation for the actually kitchen and updated each of his brothers and sensei's living quarters. It was a very busy and productive few months. And the lair never looked better. Now all he needed to do was set up the new security system and his mind would finally be at ease.

If he could figure it out that is.

Donnie didn't understand. He usually had his ideas figured out by now.

What was so different about today?

Nothing really had changed in his life. He got up around the same time everyday and tried to go to sleep at a decent hour. His routine was never changing, it had been then same thing for as long as he could remember.

"Donatello, your waters' boiled." Leatherhead's tough tone made the turtle leap out of his shell.

"My god, LH, you scared the crap out of me. "Donnie swatted his friend playfully and smiled, "You're kind of late big guy."

The croc offered a small smirk, "You never specially started when to be here, my friend. "Leatherhead was right of course, Don had neglected to mention when to be at the lair. He figured his friend would just turn up out of the blue like he often did.

The young genius filled a cup with water and mixed the continents and offered it to the other mutant. "Were going to have a long day, "he explained, grinning at his friend's expression.

After pouring himself a cup, the two friends made their way back to the lab, Don sat in front of the monitors and Leatherhead behind him.

"I see you've made progress."

Now he was just being cruel. LH enjoyed teasing him to no end. Really it was amusing to watch the oversized mutant come up with ways to torment him.

"Very funny."

A silence fell between the two as they worked. He was grateful for LH's friendship, he now had someone to talk to about science, where his brothers' usually drowned him out, Leatherhead was jumping head first into the conversation.

They had a decent relationship. Sure they got on each other's nerves every once and awhile but was what brothers did. And the other scientist was just that. A brother.

Donnie sipped as his tea as he looked over the rows of codes on his screen. He wasn't able to find anything wrong with the codes or the system. It had to be something else. Something he wasn't seeing. "Where are your brothers?"his friend pulled him out of his thoughts three hours later.

The turtle spun to face the croc and answered with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "they went on a training session on the surface."

"You didn't go? I thought you four trained as a team, a unit?"

"We do. However because of my weak immune system that catches any disease known to humanity, Leo strongly suggested that I stay home. I didn't have a choice. Although I'd rather be up there training with them then down here worrying my shell off."

Leatherhead blinked, his dark hazel orbs curious. "Leonardo seems to worry a lot about you and your brothers."

And he did. Leo had the tendency to worry more about the three of them than himself. Don could count on his fingers, and he didn't have many, how many times he had to pull his brother back from the brick of death.

"He worries too much about everyone else," said Don, "Leo would rather risk his own life than loose one of his family members. "

"That's very honourable."

"Not when you the one treating him for being an idiot. Our brothers are more than capable to take care of themselves and each other. " Ending the conversation, Donnie wheeled his chair over to the monitor over looking the entrance to the lair. "Leo thinks if he can protect us then he can protect the people closest to him. He needs that stability."

He flicked on a switch and looked into the deep sewers. "He doesn't care what happens to him as long as his family is protected."

LH placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly, "A soldier worthy for the fight and who is willing to protect those closest to him is honourable. You're lucky to have him."

"Yes I know."

A moment passed between the two before the crocodile spoke again,"What are you doing?"

Don was working a system that could easily recognized each of his brothers. One click of a button and he would be able to tell which brother it was and the condition of their health. "Its a system.. something that will be able to tell me how my brothers are doing before they even reach the lair doors. This way I can prepare what I need to. "he explained.

"An example?"

He brought up a bunch of files and clicked on the first one in the set, "This is an example of the different blood types that run through our family. Raph and Leo have the same blood type A positive, where Mikey and I share B positive. So just say in the heat of the battle in one of us happens to be injured I could easily send a feed back to whomever is stationed about what blood type we need.

The system is designed to recognize my brothers by their personality. Leo generally always has a high confidence and carries himself well, when returning from battle, he'll be at the front of the group, in toe will be Raph, most of the time his personality bounces back and forth between two functions; angry and worried. I'll be third, my personality really isn't much to debate on, I'm pretty laid back unless something tragic happens and finally Mikey will take up the end. I think everyone is pretty aware of his personality.

This order rarely changes, unless of course Raph is trying to get away from Leo, then and only then will he take up the lead. He may not like it but Raph respects Leo and looks up to him, although he'd never openly state such a thing. "

Leatherhead sat there in silence, a shock displaying on his face. He knew his friend knew his brothers like the back of his hand but he didn't know it was to this extreme. He offered a small chuckle and shook his head, he found it amusing that Donatello called his eldest brother the mother hen. "You truly are something else my friend. "

He didn't like to think so, in fact Donnie disagreed with his friend completely. He just liked being ready for whatever might be thrown at them. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to his brothers and he had lost them because he hadn't done everything he could have.

Suddenly for no apparent reason it hit him. Mikey. Standing up from his chair, the younger male made his way back into the living room and over to the tv sets. "Really, Donatello, you really made a fool out yourself. " he muttered as he pulled the missing cord back into the outlet. His whole problem had been because Mikey had forgotten to plug the sever back in.

"Have you figured something out, Donatello?" asked Leatherhead from the lab.

Don laughed and shook his head at his stupidness. "Turn the switch, LH, " He waited until he heard his friend's triumph chuckle before he got up and met him back in the lab, "Sometimes the smallest things cause the largest problems."

"So it would seem. "

Typing in a few codes, the genius sat back and watched as the system finally connected. He couldn't believe it. One simple thing had caused such a hassle. Mikey was right. He needed to get out of his lab more. Maybe he'd do just that. How much harm could one day do?

"Leatherhead up for some exploring?"

The croc side glanced at him with a weary smile. "And what of your brother's strong suggestion?" he asked, unable to hold back his grin.

"What Leo doesn't know wont kill him."

The two were about to turn it in for the evening when a red flash pulled them to a halt. "Code 11. Contact with surface.." the monotone voice played back to Donnie like a record. What the hell was going on? His brothers weren't due back for another few hours, construction workers barely made their way this far into the sewers and the Foot Clan had no knowledge of their new home. They had made sure of that when they left.

What or who could it be? Nothing came to mind. April and Casey were away on business and no knew they were down here. It was a possibility that his brothers had returned early but Leo was very strict about their training sessions.

Who in the world would be lurking in the sewers beside them?

"Donatello... you may want to look at this."


	3. Future Shell Shock

Chapter Three

A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed and read. It means a lot to me :D I did have a sort of plan laid out for this story but I've seemed to totally leap passed it. Oh well. Lets just see where things go. This story will be jumping back from POV to POV, sorry if you don't like it but it's something I haven't tried and I figured I might as well take a shot at it.

I own nothing.

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Despite what some might think, Leonardo Hamato cared deeply for his brothers. His three younger siblings were his life line, the very force that pushed him to be better. Most days it was him who was looking for guidance through their teachings instead of the other way around, he learned self respect and restraint, disaplent and finally the most important lesson; what it truly meant to be leader.

It wasn't being able to stand in front of a troop and lead them blindly into a battle. No it was bigger than that. You had the lives and well-being of the members of your squad in your hands, one false move and you could come home empty handy. Being leader was an honour, something the turtle didn't take lightly. He knew the risk that came with the position, of having to make calls that would hurt some people but were necessary.

Leaving his sensei, his father, behind was the hardest decision he ever had to make. But in the end there really wasn't a decision to make. Their father had risked his life so they could continue to live on and thrive. Splinter wanted them to fight on because somewhere deep down he knew that there was still a cause worth fighting for. Even in the end, he never gave up hope.

However even with all of this in mind, Leo could not allow his brother to leave. Not now. Not when he needed him. He had already lost two brothers, one to his anger and one to a undiscovered consequence. Michelangelo was the only thing keeping him sane.

It amazed him. The level of maturity Mikey had required in such a small window. But really it shouldn't have shocked him that much. After all, the loss of their once strong foundation struck the youngest turtle the hardest. It's been twenty years since Leo has seen his younger brother smile.

It's gone and he's terrified it's never to return.

Was he wrong to refuse Mikey? Going back to fix everything that happened seems like the only reasonable explanation. It would solve all their problems, bring back the loved ones they lost.

Sensei.. Casey..and Donnie

Nevertheless, it didn't feel right. As much as he wants to see the faces of his loved ones again, he has people to protect now. A rebellion that needs a solid leader to lead their forces into dangerous territory. Leo couldn't-shouldn't be thinking about something that just wasn't possible.

What Mikey was talking about was just a theory developed by Donatello. His research had never been completed. It wasn't a sure way to fix anything, let alone repair the very problem that shook their family to pieces. Time travel wasn't possible. Leatherhead has said it himself. Relying on something so strongly without any actually evidence was suicide. And he would not allow his brother leave him. He was tried of losing his loved ones.

Leonardo didn't think he had much to worry about, his brother would never do it alone. He may have changed but deep down he still feels strongly about teamwork. Michelangelo wouldn't dare go it alone.

Of course with his rebellious streak as of lately, Fearless wasn't relying on that fact alone. So he had Nenji trail him. It was better to keep an eye on the only brother he had left then to trust him. Trust no longer paid a factor in this war. You did as you were told without question. That was it.

Nenji Forji was a dear friend to April and one of the few humans they managed to save when the Shredder attack. He had a wide skill set about ninjitsu and was pretty good at statical thinking. His only flaw? That's just it, he didn't seem to have one. Leo couldn't find a single thing about the men that would bring up suspicion. He was just to perfect.

Master Splinter once told him that even things that seem to have perfection have something wrong with them and Leonardo couldn't deny that there was something strange about this human.

Still.. he needed someone to keep an eye on his brother. April was busy with him putting together their next plan and the rest of the rebellion was still recovering from their last encounter with the Shredder. The only option was to send Nenji.

After all, how much trouble was Mikey really going to be?

"Leo?" April nudged him in the rib, a soft supple grin resting on her faded lips. "Are you alright? You've been distracted all day. " From what he can tell, she's been up all night fighting past a cough; her voice is course and her breathing lisped.

No one can tell but he feels his way over to the desk with the bottom of his feet, it took him years to master seeing without his eyes. Now it only takes a single step for him adject the layout of the room. "I'm fine.. I was just thinking about something. " he answers to his left, where he predicts his second command is.

Sure enough she confirms his suspicions when she places her hand on his bicep, "One of those days?" She asks as if it's a daily accordance. Lately it has been, the blue-claded turtle has been more focused on the past then the present, it's a habit that is hard to break but it has to be done. To much is at stake.

Leo takes in a slow breath, his lungs clenching the fresh air desperately, and releases in a rough sigh. "I was just thinking about how it use to be. " he paused, clenching his hands on the desk in front of him. "What it could be like if Don were still here.."

The atmosphere around him falls silent. So silent in fact you could hear a pin in the next room if it were to drop. The subject of his brother is a touchy one, even with Leonardo, who spent the first ten years of his brother's disappearance furious and in need of answers. Donatello was a name never spoken of because it brought back memories of pain, betrayal, and uncertainty.

Finally the red-head breaks the silence, this time the hardness has returned to her voice. "Donatello is not here, Leo, he hasn't been for thirty years, wishing he was won't change that. I know you miss him, I miss him, but holding on for hope won't do any of us any good. "He doesn't need to see it to know that a tear has rolled down April's cheek onto the glass below. "Leave the past buried."

_Never leave the past buried my son, you'd be surprised of what can happen because of the memories we have created._

"Right, I'm sorry. "The turtle straightens his body, stretching out his back and shoulders muscles before leaning over the map in front of him. "Where are we in terms of teams? Last I checked Team Alpha was twenty metres from their target and Beta went offline a few hours after."

"Both Alpha and Beta were in position and ready for the attack when an uncounted for squad of élite foot members blind sided them. "

"Any casualties?"

Leonardo is afraid of the answer because regardless of what his eldest friend has to say to him, he already knows. Their rebellion looses more members than it gains. No one is willing to risk their lives for a cause they have no longer believe in.

"unfortunately the entire Beta Squad had been whipped out, only a few members from Alpha managed to return safely." sighed April, her tone dull and lifeless. This was not the voice of the girl he use to know, all of her compassion is gone. Replaced with hatred and grief.

This is the fifth time this month they have lost a team. They can't afford to lose anymore people, their group is already small as it is. Leonardo places his hands on the papers lining the table and in one swift movement sends them flying off the glass. He can't believe this. All their hard work. Gone.

"Leo!" April snaps, working quickly to grab his hands. His mind freaks for a moment, unable to registry to foreign touch, but is quickly to put to ease as the girl starts to stroke her thumbs up and down his cheeks. "Calm down, the last thing we need is a mental breakdown from you. "

"You'd probably enjoy that. " Leo allows a small smile to spread across his lips, "You wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. "

Her laugh is something he hasn't heard in ages and the smallest doze of it clams his nerves. "I think I'll keep you around, much more entertaining. "

The turtle hears the doors swing open in the background but pays no mind to it. Right now all he can focus on his April's hands, they've aged with the years but their as soft as always. Before he knows what he's doing, the leader is leaning into her touch, allowing himself for once forget the hardships of the world around him. But alas the moment comes to a draw much to quickly as speeding footsteps near them.

Leonardo pulls away from the girl, tucking his blush into his trench coat as the owner of the steps approaches. He can't tell right away who it is but he has a guess it must have been important. He turns away and pretends to glaze out the window, although he hasn't been able to do so in years, it's a good excuse to avoid April's prying eyes.

The turtle discovers that the footsteps belong to Ninji. "Leonardo, may I have a word with you in private?" His breathing his coarse and his heartbeat fast, as if he were speeding to arrive here.

But why?

The blue ninja raises his head, his eyes narrowing under his glasses, "Whatever you have to say can be said in front of April. " he answers without hesitation.

He listens as the Japan native shifts onto his other foot, his breathing hollowing a little. "I'm afraid your brothers tend to use the method you spoke of early to change things. " he explained, balancing on the balls of his feet as if he were getting ready to make a quick get away.

"What? Are they out of their minds!" April marches towards the exit, her anger shielding her.

They? Hadn't it only been Mikey he had been worried about? When had _he_ become _they_?

"You said they?" Leo questioned, pulling April to a stop, "Who was with my brother?"

It was a possibility but unlikely. Raphael had left New York years ago threating to never return. And he had been true to his word so far until now. Leo didn't think his brother would stoop so low to get back at him. " It's Raph isn't it."

The male crossed his arms over his chest with a small sigh, "If you're referring to the turtle with a bad attitude then yeah it could be Raph. "

Leonardo was flabbergasted. He didn't see any reason for his brother to be back in New York. When Raphael left he stated he wouldn't be returning and as much as Leo wanted all his family together, he let him go. Not because it would be easier to deal with the situation but because he knew his brother needed space. Their home was smothering him.

So he let Raph go only under the circumstance that he was not to return. It was just easier not having to go back down the path of pity fights. And without having to stop and think, their pig headed brother left New York. No one knew what had become of him or where he had gone, every once in a blue moon Raph would call Mikey to check in but other than that the red banded turtle was silent.

What possible reason did he have to return?

Locially there wasn't one. Raphael didn't just show up anyway without a reason. He couldn't be helping Mikey. Raph wouldn't dare cross that line. Would he?

This was so frustrating. Leo didn't know a thing about any of his brothers. Before he would have been able to tell what Raph had been planning but now it was like he was guessing with a stranger.

"Ninji, I want you to stay here and keep an on things, "Leo took his sword from his desk and slipped into the holder on his back, "April you're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To stop my brothers before they cause any more problems."

-TMNT-

Leonardo lead his second command through the back alleys of New York. He would pause every few minutes to check his surroundings, he often found himself lost in his memories. He could remember a more simpler time, he always seemed to go back to the moments with his brothers as they soared over the open skies over the busy New York streets. Now it seemed like a life time ago.

He could easily remember the first time they ventured up to the surface. Against their father's wishes they sneaked away from the lair and out of the sewer into a world that would forever change them. That day all of their lives changed, they wanted more than just a life living in hiding. They knew they could be of some use on the surface.

Donnie wanted to change the world with his inventions and make the lives of humans all the better, he even dreamed of winning an award at some point in his life. Mikey wanted to go through the trails of teenhood like the humans. He wanted to experiencance every aspect of what it meant to be human, their youngest brother was always up to date on the latest trends. Raph was a little more difficult to understand but Leo knew him. He knew his brother wanted to be out of the sewers and on the surface. He was tired of hiding. He'd never admit it but Raphael wanted to be human.

Although he never fully committed to his dreams, Leo wanted to a world class ninja. He wanted to protect the people closest to him and experience that Japan was really like. Wethear they wanted to express their feelings or not, they all wanted something they couldn't have from the outside world.

It killed Leo to have to watch his brothers suffer everyday. They deserved a better life. But there was nothing they could do. The humans would never accept them, regardless of their scarifies.

The leader paused at the corner of 5th and Madison and looked down at the desereted streets. Leo couldn't remember the last time he had seen people on the road ways. The Shredder had scared them away and the ones he hadn't, he killed them. It was sad when he thought about it.

New York was known for its large quanity of people, now there were barely specs of humans. The ones that had survived were either in hiding or apart of the rebellion. People didn't seem to care that he was a turtle. They just wanted to be saved.

"We need to hurry if were going to stop your brothers, Leo." April voice got lost in the wind, making it difficult to understand her.

Did he really want to stop his brothers? He would give anything to see his father and brother again. He missed them dearly and everyday that passed he found his memories of them were starting to slip away from him. Could he really stop Mikey and Raph from executing their plan? Deep down he didn't want to but he knew he needed to.

He lowered his head and sighed quietly, "I know. They're most likey back at the lair and it's not going to be an easy task to get there but we will stop them."

Without another word, the turtle started towards their old lair, completely unprepared for what was waiting for him.

-TMNT-

"Looks like he finally found us, took you long enough, Fearless."

Leo couldn't help but flinch at his brother's rough tone. It had been so long since he had seen-heard from his brother that he had compeltely forgotten what he was like. He stepped in front of both his brothers and narrowed his eyes under his glasses, "You really didn't think I would just allow you two to go through with this did you?" He asked, drawing the sword from his shell.

Raphael eyed the weapon and smirked slightly, "You wouldn't come at me, Fearless. Both you and I know that you don't have the guts to come at me again. " he took a step towards him, tossing something to Mikey, "Go Mike, I'll catch up with you. "

"Your delusional if you think I'm going to allow you to walk away, Raph."

"I'm afraid your delusional if you think your going to stop me. "

Leonardo lunged for his brother, bringing the sword down, however Raph was ready for him. He countered, striking back with his sai. "Why are you doing this, Raph?" the two weapons collided, sending sparks flying, "Do you have any idea what dangers could be brought from this?"

Leo fell back, skidding back to a halt as they broke apart. He narrowed his eyes and spat out blood, "I don't think you have any idea what were trying to do Leo!" the blue turtle brought his sword up to block his brother's attack. "Were trying to save Donnie!"

That did it. Leonardo's knees collasped under him, sending him to the ground below. They were trying to save Don? Why didn't he just- no! No matter the reason, he would not allow his brothers to go through with this.

Leo kicked his brother's feet from underneath him and held him at sword point. "Going back to the past won't change anything. Donnie's gone. Both you and Mikey need to get that through your heads!" he snapped, his body shook his anger.

A moment of silence passed between them. Leonardo glared down at his brother, his arms shaking with frustration. Why couldn't Raph listen to him for once?

"You're wrong. "Raph ceased the sword from Leo's hands and had him pinned beneath him. "We can change things. "

Before he could process what was happening, the blue turtle was laying face down on the ground, the last thing he heard was April's timid voice, "Hurry Raph before he realizes what's happening. "

Leonardo couldn't believe what was happening. April was working with his brothers? But.. how? From the very beginning April had sided with him on every aspect of their mission. Now it seemed she had lied to him.

"Don't worry, April, we'll go back and fix everything." Leo couldn't help but scowl at his brothers words. What did they think going back to the past was going to do? They didn't even know why Donnie had gone missing or what caused it. He surpressed a groan and listened as his brother shuffled out of the room, and unable to find the strength to pull himself to his feet, the turtle allowed the darkness to pull him under.


	4. The Family Unit

A/N: I know it's not as long as the other chapters but life got the better of me and while I was typing this chapter my computer screwed up and deleted just about everything I had saved so I had to start over. I kind of like this one much better actually. The next few chapters will be in Don's POV.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's reviewed/favourited/and alerted this story. I'm glad you enjoy it :)

All feedback is welcome!

If I owned the ninja turtles I would be shooting reruns of the 2003 vers but alas I do not so we'll have to stick with the 2012, although I do have a soft spot for them as well.

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Water dripped down onto his shell, leaving settle hints that they were indeed still underground, as Donatello walked through the sewage of underground New York. He was running on three hours of sleep and adrenaline. Donnie knew his brothers would have his shell if they found out what he was doing but he had to see it for himself, looking through a computer screen was evidence enough, seeing it with his own to eyes would tell him if it was real or if it was just his overactive imagination.

It was hard to believe, seeing his brothers in the state he did brought a nasty shock through his body. Leatherhead had to shake him back into reality a few good times before he became responsive.

He was certain that the turtles in front of him weren't his brothers. They were like rougher, beaten versions of his elder and youngest brothers. It was hard to look away even though he desperately wanted to tear his eyes away from them.

As they moved through the sewer, Don began to think about the talks Master Splinter had had with him over the years. He always stressed the importance of family and how delicate their survival was with it. Maybe that was what had happened to Raphael and Michelangelo.

Had their family broken apart somehow and the only survivors were Mike and Raph?

Donnie shook his head as he came to halt behind Leatherhead. He couldn't allow himself to think those thoughts, every day they worked as a team to avoid their family breaking apart. The Hamato family being destroyed just wasn't possible.

"Do you see anything, Leatherhead?" he asked, peering over the large croc's shoulder into the darkness. Don could feel LH's uneasy breathing through his body of scales and it made a flip of uncertainty go through his stomach.

"Not really, whatever or whomever was here is long gone. There is no trace of them, Donatello. "Said Leatherhead, swishing his tail and almost knocking Don back into the water.

The purple cladded turtle narrowed his eyes and stood up, passing along his friend. "That's impossible. I know my mind runs away sometimes but there's no way in hell we are both seeing things. "He muttered, crossing his arms over his plastron.

"Perhaps we both need sleep. "

Don doubted that was true. It was impossible for both of them to be seeing things at the same time and Leatherhead actually slept. He released a long breath and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "I guess we should head back to the lair then, if Master Splinter or my brothers catch me out here it won't be pretty."

Regardless of the circumstance, Donatello had actually been hoping to find something. It wasn't everyday he came across anything out of the norm, then again he couldn't himself process how what he was seeing was real let alone hope to explain it to his family.

Maybe it was better that they hadn't come across anything. God knows they didn't need any more drama in their lives.

Donnie led their small group of two back down the direction they came, listening down the tunnels for anything that might not have been there before. What had he been hoping for? Something that might have given him the chance to prove that he was more than just the science nerd, that he had more worth than his brothers led him to believe.

"Donatello?" called Leatherhead a few feet back, pulling him out of his hallowed thoughts.

"Hm?"

The turtle stopped and glanced back at his friend once he realized the other scientist had stopped. He blinked and titled his head, watching the older male with interest. "What is it, LH?" he asked.

"Why put yourself in the position of your brothers being cross with you?"

Donnie actually didn't have that answer. He had been asking himself that question for years. However apart of him couldn't help going out and discovering whatever was around the corner. It was just who he was. He lowered his eyes down onto the muddy water and allowed the different responses to swarm through his head.

He needed to approach this carefully. "I like feeling like I'm contributing to my family's safety. It's just like how Leo trains, Raph does his patrols and Mikey keeps the atmosphere light. These things allow us to feel somewhat normal I guess you could say. Making my family feel safe is one of the best things I can do."

Not waiting for his friend's reply, Donatello turned on his heel and headed down the tunnel.

As the two walked through the underground, Don could have sworn they were being followed. He had spent years traveling through the underground sewers with his brothers and knew every corner like the back of his hand. Leo had made them memorize every nook and cranny just in case they got lost and throughout his life the remembrance had come in handy.

They all knew that no one beside themselves and Leatherhead lived in the undergrounds. On occasion the foot would venture down into the mucky waters but they hardly returned from their explorations; Leatherhead usually got the best of them.

Perhaps that was how he knew that someone was trailing them or it could have been that whoever it was wasn't being quiet, Don could hear the splashing of the water from a mile away. Then again that could because the suspects wanted him to hear them.

The young turtle stopped half way home and turned to glance at his friend, Leatherhead seemed to pick up on his panic because a second later the croc had disappeared into the water a few feet away from them. Making sure to stay silent, the genius drew his bo-staff and slowly started back in the direction they had come.

Donatello didn't notice anything at first; things looked normal, well as normal as they come in a sewer. He was starting to think he was hearing things when a ninja star swung for his head. Don had ducked just in time for a wooden weapon to target him. He brought his staff up to block and counter but his efforts were in vein.

Donnie had no way of knowing it there was more than one of them, the sewer had long been darkened and abandoned by any sunlight. All he had to go on was his other senses and at the moment they weren't on his side either.

He moved slowly through the knee deep water, listening to the small clicks of water splashing up onto the bank. He cursed as a nunchuck hit him in the side and sent a sharp shooting pain through his muscles. Each and every time he tried to block, his muscles would spasm up and leave him little room to move out of the way.

That was one of the downfalls of Donatello being sick. His whole body seemed to shut down and it became difficult to carry out the simplest instructions.

"Do you think it's him? " A voice came, sending a tremble down his body.

"Of course it's him, nutbrain. Thirty years old and you still see what's right in front of you. "

Don narrowed his eyes and moved deeper into the shadows of the sewer. He began to think that Leatherhead hadn't read him correctly but deep down he knew his friend would never leave him to defend himself and seconds later he saw the scientist scaly body slithering through the water.

"Shut up, at least I didn't give up on him. "

The voices were now starting to bug him. They sounded too familiar and they were started to make his headache, and the growl that followed only made Donatello's blood run cold.

"I did not give up on him! It was the only course of actions we could do at the time. We needed to focus on something else, you've always believed in him, regardless of the circumstance. Even when we were children you looked up to him and believed he could do anything – that hasn't changed. "

While the pair – Donnie assumed it was a pair bickered the turtle moved into get a closer look. He watched his friend in the corner of his eye, Leatherhead was waiting for his signal to strike. Donatello had never been good at this type of thing, that was Leo's field, he was a must better leader.

As he moved in, Don could see the faint outline of the two beings; they looked older then he had originally thought they would. Which made it nearly impossible for them to be foot ninja. Setting his staff back in his shell, he moved behind the smaller male. He knew he could easily take out both of them either with a single knock to the head or one of the many barges he had hidden in his bag but something stop him.

He lowered his arms and took a small step back. He looked for Leatherhead through the darkness and swallowed down the sudden fear that consumed his airways. "Donatello, are you alright?" his friend's rough voice came through the communicator in his ear, shocking him back into reality.

He let out a small breath to steady his breathing and gave a curt nod. "Fine, you take the one of the left, I got the smaller one. " he whispered back.

"Sure leave me with the larger one. "

A small smirk appear on Don's lips, "Don't worry you can handle it big guy. "

The air between them fell silent as the two parted once again. Donatello wasn't use to doing these missions without his brothers. His older brothers always handle these situation while he stood in the background and handle things on his end. Then again, he was always fighting to prove himself to Leo and Raph. Mikey always believed that he could do anything.

He never had to prove a thing to his younger brother.

He paused as the voiced picked up once again, "Tell old wise and faithful, why did you even want to come? You hated him for the longest time after he disappeared. Are you really here to set things right or just deepen the wound?"

Donnie heard a loud smack and found himself cringing.

" Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. "

He waited until the two men were separated before he made his attack. Don knew he needed to do this correctly because if anything went amiss he'd most likely loose his life. He took in a small breath and sneaked up behind the younger turtle.

Turtle? When had there been more turtles then himself and his brothers?

Could what he and Leatherhead saw on the screen actually be true?

The pure thought of it made Donnie's limbs shake and his knees buckle beneath him. The purple turtle had spent years in his childhood wondering if it were even possible for their to be others like him in the world and he had quickly come to the realization, with the help of his older brother Raphael, that they were indeed the only species of their kind.

Now in a blink of an eye they were going to destroy it all. Without pausing to think of the consequences, Don blurted out Leatherhead's name so loud that the foundation of the sewer shook and it was then he knew they were screwed.

-TMNT-

It all happened so quickly. Before he knew what happened, Don was defending himself against a one armed assassin with the need to kill. Each move he seemed to make the other had a move to counter and was quickly gaining grounds on him.

Donnie could feel his breathing starting to labor and he knew if he didn't end this quickly he'd pass out before he had the chance to do a thing about turning the tables. He jumped back and narrowed his eyes at the other turtle. "What do you want?" he growled, he tried to sound threatening but his warning only came out as hoarse.

A sly smile came to the turtle's lips, his baby blues glowing. "Were only here to fix something that should have-" Suddenly without warning the turtle stumble forward into the water in front of him.

"Leatherhead!"

His companion turned to look at him, he had the other turtle hoisted over his shoulder and was the process of picking the other up. "Yes, Donatello?" he swished his tail back and forth, making him seem more beast like then Donatello had ever seen.

Donnie pale a little, "You didn't need to be so rough. " he muttered, pushing his aggression to the back of his throat.

Sighing deeply, the turtle pushed after the large crocodile back towards their lair.

Once they returned home, Leatherhead and Don had to work quickly to set their new guest in the lab, away from preying eyes. The scientist in him didn't believe what he was seeing, he had grown up reading books and theories about such things but that's all they were. _Theories_. The brother was baffled and confused. Laying only two feet in front of him were his younger brother Michelangelo and older brother Raphael.

The only sound in the small lab was their steady breathing. Neither dared to speak a word, afraid of what the outcome may be. Not so much as muttering a word, Don walked past his friend out into the comfort of the living room, Leatherhead followed suit a few moments after making sure to shut the door with a silent click.

Neither of them spoke as the other three brothers returned from the surface and as his brothers fussed over him about being up and about, Don couldn't help but think of the terrors his other brothers had gone through. That night, a small part of him died along side any belief he had on their family unit .


	5. Michelangelo the Healer

A/N: Another chapter in one week! I had such inspiration what I couldn't wait to type this up and get it out.. I hope you all enjoy it. I know it's a slow start but things will start to pick up eventually. Right now Donnie's just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. He'll tell his brothers sooner or later- if he even decided to.

I'd like to thank everyone who's read and actually likes this story. It all came from a dream I had after I watched the SAINW ep in the 2003 vers and I was kind of scared to put it up but I'm glad a did. Make sure to stay tuned their is a lot to come for Donnie and his brothers and even a One-shot about Future Raph and Leo, once I get to typing and editing it that is.

One more thing; My story, A Father's Love has been Nominated for an award on Stealthy Stories! Yay! Thanks to anyone who nominated me :D And when the ballet gets up I'll post a link and you can vote if you wish. The One-shot in on my profile if you wish to read it, it's my second TMNT story and I'm quite proud of it. Any who, that's all for now.

I own nothing.

All Feedback welcome!

* * *

"His vitiuals are looking alright, there's small scarring on his trachea and shoulder blades- large enough to be the size of a sword's blade. His body, although weak and frail, didn't reject the anesthetic and analgesic. Which in this case is the best we can hope for. Were lucky his immune system didn't attack the medication and shut down his system completely."

Donatello could easily remember the first time he had tried to help his younger brother with drugs made by humans. From what he could remember Mike and Leo had gone out to do some last minute training when they came across some of the Foot Clan. Leo had explained as he tried to clutch his younger brother to his chest that Han had sneaked up behind him went to strike and in the last second Michelangelo had leapt in front of his brother to shield him from most of the blow.

Donnie had never in his life seen so much blood or his brother look so close to death. It took Master Splinter three tries to try and coax him out of his shock and without thinking the genius worked, unaware of the long battle that the two of them had been in for.

Mikey's heart spasmed and contracted until it stopped all together and in a state of panic the young turtle had only a slight window to get his brother's heart pumping again. Since then he's stirred away from drugs made for humans- he spent three long years trying to come up with remedies that their immune systems wouldn't reject and with the help of April and a few of her coworkers he was able to create natural supplements that wouldn't kill them.

While Leatherhead worked on Raph, Donnie tried to take in the scarred up body of his younger brother. Every inch of Mikey's body was covered in scars, his skin had darkened and the tiny freckles around his beak were faded and almost invisible to the naked eye. The orange bandanna his brother wore proudly was ripped at the ends and pulled over to cover the top of his head and his nunchuck lay loosely on his belt that draped from cross his plastron down to his right hip.

A small frown came to his lips as his eyes traced down the rough patches of Mikey's body. His hands worked gently, messaging the torn skin, desperately trying to stop the shakes that shook his limbs. Donatello dropped his hands as he looked down at his brother's missing arm. The cut was straight and clean, judging by the scarring it had bled more than it should have; Mike was lucky he hadn't died.

Donnie worked quietly, pushing his friend's soft mutters to the back of his head as he wrapped his brother's arm up in a bandage, it wouldn't do much now but at least it would stop any more bacteria from getting into the wound. Once he was finished he ran his thumb across Michelangelo's forehead and sighed quietly.

How could Leo and Raph allow something like this to happen to Mike? How could he?

Michalangelo was his best friend; the only one of his brothers that didn't judge or ridicule him. Don knew he could be himself around the orange banded turtle, he didn't have to hide behind fake smiles and sneer words. A part of him wished he could have known what had happened but the older brother in him screamed for him to stir away from it.

The genius lifted his head from his younger brother to look in Leatherhead's direction. Donnie was glad he took up learning how to read lips effectively because at the moment anything his friend was saying to him wasn't getting through. Reluctantly he left Mikey and wandered over to his older brother. Raphael wasn't in any better shape than Mike but Don thanked the stars that he skill had all of him limbs.

The only significant thing Don could see was that one of his eyes was stitched shut and as he took a closer look, he noticed that there was no chance of saving his older brother's sight in said eyes. It was damaged beyond repair and he feared if they tried anything, they'd only make things worse.

"Are you alright, Donatello?" Leatherhead asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know it must be hard to see them like this.."

Don simply shook his head and turned away from the hospital bed.

He heard Leatherhead shuffle around the room and settle onto one of the computer chairs a few minutes later. Donnie hovered for a moment before stumbling out of the lab. He needed to get out, clear his head and soak in the comfort of his brothers and master. At first he wasn't sure who to go to, he knew Mikey would try and understand the best he could but no matter how hard Don tried to explain it, he would never understand. Leo and Raph would strike first and ask questions later, that was if they believed him.

In the end, Don slipped out of the lair by himself, not bothering to hide the tears slowly streaming down his cheeks.

-TMNT-

Donatello walked until the bottom of his feet felt like needles were pricking them. He stumbled into a hidden cave and pulled his knees to his chest, unable to tell when the rain water started and the tears began. He hated this, not having the answers to the questions that were racking his brain. It was so damn frustrating!

How could he allow either of his brothers to end up in the state they were? Don was supposed to be there to protect and guide his brothers from harm not be the root cause of it.

The tech loving turtle lowered his head into his knees and let out a deep breath as he tried to contain the anger swimming through his veins. Donnie wasn't one to loose his temper easily but seeing his brothers so close to death made something snapped. He had always been protective of his siblings, he was a mother hen in that sense, he hated when they went to the surface because it brought all new sorts of dangers they weren't aware of.

The first time they were out of the reach of Master Splinter, Don's heart all but stopped. He was both in awe and terrified for the safety of the four of them. They had come across information they had never known about and had no idea what to do with their new found freedom. Each of them gained something from their first experience but they quickly found out that adventuring out of the sewer brought even more dangers.

The Foot, The Shredder, The Triceratons and whatever monsters had crossed their paths since that faithful night two and half years ago.

Donnie had been floored with the idea of exploring the world outside their liar but that didn't mean he wasn't scared for his family's safety. Even today after everything they've been through, he can't help but worry.

Maybe that was why when Mikey showed up moments later he was a little surprised.

"Don?" Mikey crocked his head to the side, his baby blues concerned. "I saw you slip out earlier, are you alright?"

Despite the pits of anger and grief running through him, Donatello offers a small smile to his baby brother and nods, "I'm okay, Mikey, I just came out to think. "he answered so clear it's almost hard to tell he had been crying.

For a moment it almost seems like Mike is going to turn around and head back to the lair but instead he crawls up into the cavern and sits down beside him. The air is quiet between the two but there is no awkwardness. His younger brother always knew how to make him feel better, even if he had nothing to say.

His younger brother was his best friend. Donnie could always count of Mikey to put a smile on his face or knock him back down to earth. That was why it was so hard to see the other version of him, it felt as if he had failed Mikey in some way.

And maybe he had.

The truth of the matter was that Don didn't know if the turtle he had a brief conversation with was even his brother. But the striking resemblance was enough to send the young turtle fleeing.

Donnie lowered his head and traced the thin scarring on his hands. He didn't know how to bring this up in conversation. Would Mikey, like so many others, deem him crazy? He didn't think he could handle his best friend looking at him like he was lunatic.

"Are you sure you're alright, Don? You're awful quiet." Mikey asked a few minutes later as he lent up against the wall, his shoulder brushing against Don's. "I mean by now you're usually chatting my ear off. "

Donnie couldn't help but flinch at his brother's contact, "I'm fine Mikey, I-" He frowned and looked up to meet the worried baby blues starring back at him. "Actually there was something I wanted to ask you.."

"Well go on, don't hold back now Don. "

He cleared his throat and hugged his knees closer to his body as he tried to coax the words together in his head. He needed to go at this carefully. At the moment he wasn't ready to tell Mikey, nor anyone for that matter, the full extend of his discovery. He exhaled deeply and turned to watch the water flow down the sewer, his eyes catching particles from surface. "Do you think it's possible for there to be older versions of people?" He asked finally.

For quite awhile his baby brother was quiet, Don could almost see the gears turning in his head as he thought over his question. Finally after what seemed like hours Mikey let out a deep heart filled laugh and Donnie's heart sunk. "I could have sworn we had this conversion before, Donnie. Remember? We scared the crap of Raph once, saying that if he continued to be mean to us an older version of you could come and give him a good whooping. "

Donnie laughed a little along side his brother, he could remember that evening too. Raph had been harassing him all day about how smart he was and it got to the point where Don just blew up at him. He spent the rest of the day locked away in his room trying to release his anger when Mikey slipped in and offered a prank that would settle everything over.

"We tell him that you've perfected a way to bring the future to the past- tell him if he keeps being a bulling an older version of you or me will come and beat him up. " Mikey had said with a Cheshire grin on his face.

"Won't he get upset?" Don had asked, his voice quiet and trembling.

Mikey only laughed at him and nudged him in the side and with such confidence said, "He'll get over it. "

The prank went off with a hit and just like Mikey had said, Raph had gotten over it. He even came into Don's room later on and had apologized for bugging him. Since then it seemed Raph became the over protective brother Donnie never wanted.

"I remember. He wasn't very pleased with us. "Donnie let a small smile spread over his face. "But I guess in the end it was worth it, Raph quite bugging me, although I started to miss him harassing me after he wouldn't stop being so protective of me. "

"Whoever said Raph was a hard ass clearly never had a good conversation with him. "

"You're right, Raph is a teddy bear. "

Don watched as Mikey rose from beside him and stretched widely, "We should probably head back before the others start to come look for us, I'm sure you don't want them to find your nerd cave. "He chuckled and ducked out of the way just in time as Don took a swing at him.

"Shut up, Mikey. " Donnie stood after his brother and followed him back down the sewer, pushing the thoughts of his future brothers to the back of his mind, at least for now

-TMNT-

When Don and Mikey returned to the lair, Leatherhead was gone and their family was gathered around the kitchen table. Master Splinter was seated at the end with his hands tucked neatly under his chin and his whiskers twitching, Leo sat on his right with his eyes narrowed and Raph sat on the left with an odd expression plastered on his face.

"Ah shell. "Mikey muttered into his ear, pulling ahead of him as they came into the dinning room.

Donnie knew they were in trouble by the stern look on his father's face and the dead silence in the liar. They quickly took their seats next to Raph and Leo, Don trying his best to look as small as possible.

Master Splinter looked up from the paper on the table, his brown eyes falling on him first then Mikey, "Where have you two been?" he asked, his ears folding back on to his head.

Mikey was the first to pipe up, a wide smile on his face, "I found out about some nice skateboard ramps just down the sewer and I thought Donnie would have liked to come and check them out with me. " He pushed his chair back on two legs, his feet resting on the table.

Donnie never understand why Mikey always dumbed himself down when they were around Master Splinter and their older siblings. He knew Mikey could easily pass Raph and Leo if he applied himself more. He found out when they were young that his baby brother was almost able to understand the equations he had written on his black board in his lab.

Why he had never come out and stated so was beyond Donnie. Then again he did understand. Appearing to more than what you were in this family was a hard task to take on.

"Why did you take it upon yourselves not to let myself know where you had gone?" Master Splinter addressed him now, his bushy eyebrows raised in question.

Don fought to keep eye contact with his father, he swallowed down the knot in his throat and answered, "I needed to get out and clear my head, I hadn't stopped to think about coming to let you know. "

"Is that what happened, Michelangelo?"

Mikey nodded with a smirk and sat up right again, meeting Don's eyes in a silent conversation that said, 'Don't worry genius, I have you're back.'

Their sensei stared at them for a brief second before standing and limping over to the kitchen. The others may not have noticed it but Don had taken into account about how weak their father was becoming. His walk was a lot slower and the grey fur around his muzzle and ears were starting to become more noticeable.

Donnie feared how much longer they had their father with them.

When he reappeared, Splinter was carrying two boxes of pizza. He placed them in the middle of the table and sat back down in his best, "Enjoy, my sons. "His words were lost over the chattering of chairs and shuffling of paper plates.

Donnie sat in silence as they ate their meal, taking in each of his brothers with a weary glance. They all had something they brought to the family, something that allowed them to survive and function like a regular family might; Leonardo was the protector, Raphael was the strength, Michelangelo was the humor, and Splinter was the glue that held everything together.

Seeing this made Donnie question where he fit in.

Once the clan was finished eating, each member retired to do their own thing. Donnie end up back in the lab even though every fiber of his being told him to just stay away and forget the whole ordeal. In the end he ended up curled in a computer chair, desperately clinging to Michelangelo's hand.


	6. Duty

A/N: It's been a long past few weeks, work is killing me and I had huge writers block for this chapter and the one shot I have planned. Plus I'm reading like a crazy person and getting sucked into the world of Shadowhunters. Sigh. I have an outline for a malce fanfiction. So look out for that. Thanks for reading/reviewing.

I own nothing.

All feedback welcome

Update: Big Thanks to Mama May-Eye for pointing out my mistakes! Hopefully I fixed most of them (:

* * *

When Michelangelo opened his eyes, he panicked. One sweep of the room and he had no idea where he was, the first thing that came to mind was that he was trapped in one of bishop's labs again. He moved his head from side to side, groaning as a sharp pain traveled up his spine to the back of his head. He tried to sit up but came to realize that something had a hold of him.

Tugging as hard as he could, Mike sighed once he discovered that it was pointless when his hand didn't budge. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes, muttering a curse under his breath. How was it always him that got caught in these situations? Sure he could understand when he was younger and immature but he had grown since then.

His head throbbed with a blinding headache and all he wanted to do was sleep but he knew that wasn't going to happen, his heart rate was much to high to even consider allowing sleep to pull him under.

From what he could tell he was underground-hidden away from the brewing storm up top. Mike could make out that he was deeper than he suspected, machines beeped and lights danced across his eyelids. When he opened his eyes again he could easily make out the make shift lab with it's basic equipment and materials.

For a moment it almost seemed like he was back in his childhood home, strapped down to one of the hospital beds as his older brother tried to treat him. But the was nearly impossible. Donnie, and the lair, had been gone for years.

A strong laugh vibrated through his chest. They had actually done it. Raph and him had actually traveled back in time. They were trying to fix what had been done so many years ago. He couldn't believe they had actually achieved their goal. Donnie would be rolling in his grave with a wide smirk, telling them, "I told you so. "

Speaking of Raphael, where was that egghead? Mikey could have sworn his older brother had been with him while they walked trough the sewers. Raph thought it wouldn't be safe to separate and that they would be better off as a team. They hadn't worked as a team in twenty five years but Mike hadn't had the heart to point it out to him. Now he had no idea where he was.

Mike could only pray that he was safe and out of danger. The last thing he needed was to return home without another brother. He would never allow one of his siblings to fall against their enemies again.

Mikey hadn't felt the pressure on his hand disappear until a voice came into his subconscious. "How are you feeling?" the tone was so familiar, so comforting that he felt his heart contract and a pang of hurt pass through his body.

It had been thirty years since he had last seen his brother. He had almost forgotten what Donatello sounded like, he had let his brother's comforting tone slip into a deep part of his mind after he found no reason to keep the painful memory around.

Slowly pulling his body up into a sitting position, Mikey opened his eyes and stared up at his older brother with hallow eyes. Truthfully he didn't know how to react, he had been dreaming about meeting his brother again for years but his dream state never specifically told him what to do once he actually got that chance.

His older brother looked just he had so many years ago. Healthy, intelligent and _alive_. Don was seated in the chair beside him, his hands now resting on his lap and his worried gaze now sitting on him as if he were made out of glass and would shatter at any moment. His brown eyes were wide with curiosity and watching his every movement with analyzing percussion.

It was hard to get anything past Donatello. As child he saw everything, every cut and scrape, every cold and illness. Donnie always worried about everyone around him, he was always playing doctor and nurse and when the time came for them to take care of Don they were more than happy to take charge, even when their caring soft hearted brother refused to be weighed on.

However they were unable to save him from whatever fate had fallen on him. And Mikey hated that. He hated not knowing what had happened to his best friend, he knew even if he had known it wouldn't have made things easier but it would have given them a reason to stay together, to fight for the very foundation Donnie had spent years holding together. They would have come together to avenge their brother and treasure the family they had left.

Instead they were separate entices. Mikey knew little to nothing about his remaining brothers, all he knew was that Raphael had left New York years ago and Leo was in charge of the Rebellion fighting against The Shredder. They were like strangers and when they lost Splinter they became different people. They were no longer a family but just three beings forced into a relationship neither of them wanted.

Mike hated it. He use to pride himself on his family. They had always been close but now he could barely look at Leonardo without wanting to punch him. He glanced down at his scarred hands and let out a soft slow breathe, only just registering that his brother had asked him a question.

How was he feeling? Mikey hadn't asked himself that question in years, he really didn't have any reason to. He only knew one emotion and any outside that was pointless. It had been so long since Mike had felt anything beside rage that he had forgotten what it felt like to actually feel. He shook his head and looked up to meet his brother's worried eyes, "I'm fine, just a slight headache. " he answered, flinching back at how rough his own voice sounded.

Had he ever been carefree? Michelangelo couldn't remember anything past his mid twenties. He grew up and remembering anything from his past became risky. It left him feeling weak and he couldn't avoid to feel anything else but strong, especially if he wanted to survive. So he locked everything away, forgot about the life he had had once with his family and built a new one. As far as he was considered, Mikey had died and Michelangelo had been reborn.

He was stronger, witter, sarcastic and wasn't afraid to kill. The years of war had done something to him, Raph had even said his eyes had gone an icy blue instead of the river mist he had been born with.

When he looked up, Donnie was holding a small pill in front of him, his eyes narrowed slightly. "It will help. Leatherhead kind of hit you a little to hard. " he stated, rubbing the back of his neck with a timid smile. Mikey had forgotten how easily his brother got embarrassed.

A small smirk spread over his lips as he took the pill from his older brother and slipped in on his tongue. "Why did he hit me?" He asked, "I wasn't going to hurt you or anything. "

"LH is overprotective, more than Leo, he tends to go over the railing when were alone. "

Mikey swung his legs around and face Donatello. Without stopping to think, the younger turtle grabbed his brother with his arm and tugged him into a tight hug. He could feel the tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes as he clung to Donnie. It took a moment but when Don wrapped his arms around his shell, Mikey broke down.

All the years of holding in his emotions slammed down on him, making it difficult to breath, let alone function. He clung to his brother, sobbing quietly into his plastron. Donnie just held him, rubbing the sensitive spot on his neck and whispering reassuring words to him. His brother would never know why he was so upset but he comforted him anyway. That was one of the things that made Mikey love his brother so much.

Donnie was always so understanding.

As the years passed, Mikey put a lock around his heart. He pushed out every emotion and erased all of his feelings. He figured if he couldn't feel then he didn't have to deal with the heartbreaking trauma that came with life. The kid with a light out look on life vanished behind the years of hurt and he became a completely different person. Mike didn't take orders from anyone and did things on his own terms.

He had forgotten what it mean to work as a team. They both had. Maybe that was why Raph and him hadn't been able to work that well together. They were out of sync.

As much as he wanted to stay curled up in his brother's arms, Mikey knew he was over doing it just a tad. He pulled away and swiped his eyes with the back of his hand and smiled lightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have jumped you like that. " Apologizing seemed so foreign now. Whenever he did something, he had no reason to be sorry for it. He didn't care for the consequence of his actions because he had no one to care for.

Donnie stared at him for a short while, his brown eyes concerned. "You don't need to be sorry, Mikey. "he said, "I think you needed to let you're feelings out by the looks of it. "

Michelangelo stared at his brother with confused eyes. Donnie hadn't known anything about his past, about the danger he had gone through since he turned twenty but he sat there with a reassuring smile and a look that said, 'I'm here and whatever the problem is, you're alright now. '

Mikey hated that Donnie could read him like a book. He had been the only who had been able to do that growing up. His other brothers gave him one look when he said he was fine but Donatello always knew better. He dung until Mike was at his breaking point and even then he pushed further.

"Hm. " he sighed, twisting the strap around his plasteron to calm his nerves. "Where's Raph?"Mike asked.

For the first time since he woke up, Don had averted his attention away from him. Mikey followed his gaze over to the other turtle in the bed beside him. His breathing caught in his chest as he watched the familiar scene. He slowly got to his feet and made his way over to his brother. Raphael looked alright, his breathing was slow and rigid but he was breathing.

Mikey rose his hand and ran his thumb across his brother's brow with a sad smile. It had been a long time since he had seen his older brother look so peaceful. For years Raph had been a heap of anger and frustration. It was such an odd expression to see on his brother's face. "Is he alright?"

Donnie came to stand behind him and Mikey felt a wave of calmness flow through him. "He's fine. The medicine we gave him didn't attack his immune system so he should be up shortly. I was worried at first because of the scarring around his eye, I thought that he had contracted an infection but realized that I really didn't have much to worry about. " his brother shrugged and walked around him, looking down at Raph. "He's always been a fighter. "

"He is that's for sure, "answered Mikey with a shake of his head.

Honestly Mike didn't know what to do now. He didn't have a plan; in the beginning he just wanted to see if Don's invention would actually worked. He hadn't even planned for anything beyond. A part of him wanted to stay here with Donnie, however he knew it wasn't possible. If they fixed what they had come here to do, he wouldn't have to worry about leaving his brother.

"Mike.." Don adressed him with a tone that indicated he was nervous and a bit frightened. "You look and sound like my brother but I'm having a hard time believing you are. " he mumbled, twisting his hands together.

"I am youre brother. "Michelangelo answered. "Just not from here... "

"What do you mean?"

Mikey sat back down on the bed and let out a low breathe, lowering his head. He flinched back as his brother sat beside him. It had been so long since he had pyschical contact with another person. The sudden hug was out of character but he needed to feel that his brother was in fact real.

"I'm from the future." He answered, "Thirty years in fact."

Taking in a deep breathe, Mikey went on to explain all the happened in the last thirty years and for once it felt nice to get everything off his chest. He didn't have to bury everything underneath the surface anymore. For the first time in thirty years, Michelangelo felt free.

-TMNT-

Karai Oroku slipped down from a roof into the large Foot Clan building. Her face was masked and eyes narrowed into slits. She stalked slowly through the building and pushed the large wooden door open. It swung open with a creak and revealed the man she called father since she was a little girl.

The Shredder had taken her in when she had no one else. She owed him everything.

She kneeled down in front of him and pushed the mask down from her rosey lips to reveal her flawless porcelain face. She was clearly of asian decent but it was suspected her mother had been a foriegn; someone her father shouldn't have been with.

Karai placed her right hand over her heart and bowed.

"Father, you called for me?" She asked, a sly smile resting on her pink lushish lips.

Oroku Saki looked down at his daughter, holding his head high. "Bring me, Donatello. " He moved down to stand in front of his daughter, his dark eyes watching her closely. "Do not fail me, Karai. "

Karai nodded briefly and stood. "Yes, father. "she bowed and vanished back into the shadows. She could only pray what her father had planned for the poor turtle wouldn't end up killing him.

She'd hate to see what it did to the turtles, regardless she had a duty. And her duty was to her father.

* * *

Shit just got real


	7. Light Em Up

A/N: So sorry for the late update. I've been busy with work and school and I couldn't figure out how I was going to start this chapter. I actually like the way this turned out, it's been a three 1/2 day project trying to finish this. Just a heads up I'm sorry for the slight confusion if the switching back from the past to the future, I'm trying to make that as clear as possible.

And sorry for the multiple character POV but I had to have different perspectives on this chapter in order for it to work.

Highly recommend you listen to My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boys it kinda of matches with the theme of this chapter and the chapters to come.

Sorry for my lack of raph's accent. I've tried to write it out but I can't seem to do it.

I own nothing!

All Feedback welcome

Update: Big thanks to Mama May-Eye for pointing out of mistakes and reminding me to look twice before I post a chapter!

* * *

Leonardo woke up with a splitting headache and anger coursing through him. It had been a long time, a very long time, since someone had had the jump on him and the fact that it was Raphael only pissed him off more. He should have seen it, the plan his brothers had been plotting behind his back but getting lost in his efforts and April's company left him valuable and easy to fool.

He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, trying to tell the difference between what was real and what was only make believe. He couldn't tell where he was or if he was in any danger and a part of him didn't care. He just wanted to lay his head down and go back asleep, allowing the anger, grief and anything else to drain out of him.

He pulled himself to his feet and pressed his hand against the rock wall beside him, flinching as the rough material rubbed against his skin. It had been forever since he had felt something so rough on his hands, the last time he experienced materials like this was when they fled the sewers.

Water dripped down on his right side, pinging against the metallic coating of the sewers. Leo sighed quietly, collecting his wits before heading down the damp walk way.

He hated being blind. He couldn't tell where he was, over the years he had discovered a way to see everything in a room but now it did him little good. Leo was defenseless and alone. If he came across anyone, he was screwed.

How did he even get down here? Shouldn't he have been in the small lab? He hated not knowing what the hell was going on. He was the type of person to have control and not knowing a thing was driving him crazy.

A small smile came to his lips as the familiar thud of his sword hit his shell. It had been a gift from Splinter before he passed away and Leo carried it everywhere he went. It was the only thing he had left of his father and when he didn't have it with him he felt naked and exposed.

He walked for quite awhile before he stopped. He was certain he was heading north but as far as he could tell there was nothing but himself lurking in milky waters. Leonardo felt so foolish. He hadn't felt like this since he was in his twenties. He had too much to worry about now, too many people to care for to even consider such childish things.

"What do you think is wrong with Donnie?" A voice echoed down the walls, making Leo draw his sword. "He's been awful quiet lately. Maybe something is wrong. "

"Genius would have told us if something was wrong. "

"Don's fine, Mike. Stop worrying. "

Leo narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Whomever these people were, they hadn't seemed to notice him yet. He stayed hidden and continued to listen to the conversation play out.

-TMNT-

As much as his brothers liked to remind him, Mikey knew he wasn't an idiot. He could easily follow anything Donatello told him and he knew there was something wrong with his older brother. Don never kept anything from him, they were best friends and told each other everything. Lately however the purple claded turtle had been avoiding meeting his eye and only spoke to him when it was necessary.

"I'm telling you, Donnie's hiding something. " He sighed and knocked Raphael's hand off his shell. " I know Don and that turtle in there is not my brother, he's all skittish and he won't talk to me. "

"What you and Genius a couple now, Mikey? " Raph laughed, a grin spreading over his face, " He gotta tell you everything. "

Mike was glad that it Leo who slapped Raph across the back of the head instead of him, it meant he wouldn't be injured. "Shut up Raph, Mikey does have a point. I tried talking to Don earlier today and he just brushed me off. "

"See."

He couldn't figure it out, Mikey had run through every possible reason for Don giving them the cold shoulder but nothing came up. Donnie wasn't the type of person to just keep secrets, he always had a reason for it. Mike hated that he couldn't figure out what was bugging his older brother. He hoped it wasn't anything to dangerous, even thinking about something happening to Don made his stomach do uncomfortable flips.

He pushed away from his brothers and started up stream, his thoughts on nothing but his brother. He was so in depth with his thoughts that he hadn't caught sight of the sword swinging his way until it was almost to late.

At the last second, Mikey jumped away and drew his own weapons. "What the hell!" his snapped, anger boiling in the pit of his stomach.

The sword came again, this time nearly missing his head. Mikey leapt back and wrapped his nunchuck around the weapon, using all the strength he could master, the turtle tugged.

Whomever was wielding the sword fell forward as the weapon did and Mikey knocked the ninja down and took the weapon from his grip. He pressed his foot onto it's chest and glared down at the ninja. "Who are you!" He snapped, snarling down at the masked individual.

"I could ask you the same thing!" The ninja snapped back, "Who in there right mind lurks in the sewers?"

This pissed Mikey off. The sewers were the only home his family could hide out, without them they would be discovered and who knew what would happen to them. Over the years they had gotten use to living in the make shift lair they built, it had become their home. "Like you have room to talk, you're lurking down here. " he sneered back.

His captive fell silent just as his older brother rounded the corner, their weapons raised. "What are we attacking random strangers now, Mikey?" Leo asked, in his disapproving tone.

"He attacked me first!"

Mike felt his body relax as his brothers came to stand beside him; offering protection and comfort. He turned to look at Leo and then to Raph, his baby blues curious. He had never known his brothers to get along, they were always disagreeing about something, it was almost frightening when they could actually sit in a room and talk without wanting to kill each other. At the moment however the two were standing on either side of him, calm and collected as ever.

Raph spun his sai between his fingers and crocked his head to the side, "He attacked you first?" Both Leonardo and Raphael were over protective of Donnie and himself, they tended to strike first and ask questions later when it came to them. Not that he didn't appreciate it, he did really, but Mike knew he could hold his own.

He didn't always need his brothers.

Mikey pulled on his brother's belt and sighed, "Yes but I'm fine. " he muttered.

"Mikey- "

"Really, I'm fine. "

Leo put a hand on Raph's shoulder to calm him and shook his head. "Let's get him up and we'll bring him back to the lair. Master Splinter will tell us what to do about him. " Mikey watched as his older brothers moved on either side of the ninja and hoisted him up by his arms.

Mikey fell in behind the ninja, watching the group with thin eyes. "Should we really be bringing him back to the lair? What if he's working with The Shredder?" he asked, slipping down the tunnel that lead towards their home.

Leo paused, causing Raph and the man standing between them to come to halt. "We don't know if he is or not, Mike. That's the risk we have to take. Besides if he is working with Shred head he could have information we need. "

Mikey nodded and fell silent as they came closer to the lair. Leo put the security code in, Don had been extra careful as of lately, making sure to put more security and better monitoring ever since The Foot found their last lair, and lead the other three through the door.

By the lack of cursing Mikey knew Don was either held up in his lab or still in bed sleeping. He was seriously starting to get worried about his brother, he hardly left his lab or his bedroom anymore. They literally had to drag him out if they wanted to go anywhere. Maybe he should go check up on him.

Just as he was about to turn down the hall to go and check up on Donnie, Master Splinter appeared out from his room. Their father was looking old, the grey on his fur was becoming more abundant and he walked slower than normal and relied more on the use of his cane. Mike watched from afar as Splinter walked to the group hovering by the door.

He raised his head and flicked his ears back. "Why have you brought this stranger into our home, my sons?" he asked.

Leo stepped forward and bowed, causing Raph to glare at him. "Mikey found him in the sewers, we didn't know what to do with him so we brought him here. Forgive us sensei. "

"All is forgiven, Leonardo. "Splinter cleared his throat, balancing his weight on his better leg. "Would you please bring him to my room?"

Nodding, Leo and Raph hoisted the stranger again and disappeared behind the sliding doors. Mikey blinked and looked over at his father as he beckoned him. "Michelangelo would you please come here for a moment?"

Mikey slid down off the balcony and walked over to his father, his baby blues watching his closely. When Splinter laid his head on top of his head, the young turtle smiled and leaned into his touch. "Make sure to look after your brother, Donatello is going to need you in the weeks to come. " he whispered, his whiskers twitching with sadness.

Not fully understanding his masters wishes, Mikey nodded anyway. "Don't worry, Splinter. I'll look after Donnie. " He bowed and turned away back up to his older brothers room.

-TMNT-

Having watched his son vanish behind the sliding door of Donatello's lab, Master Splinter took after the other two. He had hoped this day would have never came. The prophecy stated by the Tribunal was something the old rat had hoped to keep from his sons.

He did not want great sorrow and pain to come to his family.

Sliding the door open, Splinter turned to his two eldest boys. Leonardo had fallen into the leader role like he had hoped but he still had a lot to learn, relying on his brothers was something his eldest son had difficulty with, if they were survive this hardship Leonardo would have to overcome his fear of failure. Raphael was coming along just as he had hoped although his temper was not something to look past, his second eldest child had always been angry and Splinter had never been able to discover why. He to would have to over come his issues with his brother if they were all going to survive.

"My sons. "Leonardo and Raphael turned to look at him, their eyes calculating. "You can leave us, I will tend to this man's wounds and then I will come to tell you what the correct course of action is to handle him. "

"But Splinta we can-"

He shook his head, turning his eyes to his eldest. Leonardo seemed to understand. He bowed quickly, muttering something Splinter hadn't been able to catch and grabbed his brother my arm, "Let's go Raph, Master Splinter can handle things here. " he sighed quietly as he heard Raphael growl a reply as they disappeared out of the door.

Grabbing the wash cloth from the table beside the shikibuton*, Splinter keeled down beside the masked ninja and with delicate hands worked to remove the sunglasses and fabric masking his beak. As he dipped the clothe into the warm water, he couldn't help but frown at the sight of his eldest son. "What has become of you my son?" He whispered.

The rat worked gently to wash away the years of dirt and blood and the turtle beneath him didn't move. His breathing was normal but what feared Splinter the most was the condition of his eyes. They were worse than he had originally suspected.

Once he had cleaned Leonardo's wounds, Splinter worked to get some home remedies ready. As he was doing that the turtle began to stir and before he could stop it his son's hand shot up and grabbed him. "Where the hell am I?" he couldn't help but flinch at the roughness of his eldest son's voice; all the humanity in it was gone.

"You are save my son. "Answered Splinter, massaging the sore tendonitis in his arms. "You have no reason to be afraid. "

"Master S-Splinter...?"

Leonardo's voice sounded miles away and broken. Splinter hated what the future would bring for his boys. "Don't worry my son, I am here. " he ran his thumb across his son's face and whispered the words again.

Master Splinter suspected that his eldest son hadn't cried in years because the sobs that escaped his eldest son were heart wrenching and he suddenly realized just how much pain his family was about to endure.

And that he could do nothing to stop it.


	8. Carry On

A/N: I'm so glad you guys like my story :D I will be answer questions in the next few chapters and if you have a question about how this story came to be I'll PM you and explain.

This chapter is dedicated to my twin sister, our birthday is tomorrow so Happy Early B-day

I own nothing.

All feedback welcome

I love smart Mikey ^^

Update: Big thanks to Mama May-Eye for pointing out of mistakes and reminding me to look twice before I post a chapter!

* * *

Mikey let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and pressed his shell against the door to the lab. For a second he thought Splinter was going to chew him a new one but in fact his father had told him to look after Donnie.

What was that supposed to mean?

His sensei was always giving him codes, Splinter never gave him a straight answer and it always left Mikey scrambling to pick up the pieces at the last second.

"Don?"Mikey didn't not knowing what was going on. Splinter knew more than he was leading on and he was going to find out what it was.

He moved through the piles of broken down invention towards the medical bay, he could hear Donnie and Leatherhead's voice in a harsh whisper but before he could push the curtains open his older brother appear, lab coat on and safety glasses attached to his head.

Mikey crocked his head to the side and blinked at his get up. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?" he asked.

"I'm fine. "answered Don with a wave of his hand. "Beside Leatherhead needed my help with something."

Nodding, Mikey tried to look past his brother's shoulder only to have his view blocked. "What are we not in the sharing mood anymore, Donnie?" he stepped to the side and his brother followed.

"Sorry Mike but it's a secret. "

Don was keeping secrets? That wasn't like him. Mikey knew everything about his brother, it was almost impossible for Donatello to keep anything from him. He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Well okay.." he turned to leave but at the last second slipped past his older brother into the medical lab.

Donnie thought he could keep something from him? Please, if anything Mikey was persistent, especially with something so juicy.

But what he was saw ran his blood cold and caused his breathing to come a halt. Laying in two beds beside each other was his older brother and himself. These two were older, much older by the looks of it and had a collection of scars. Mikey felt his weight give out on him as his eyes landed on the missing ligament on the older vision of him.

He was grateful that Donnie had caught him because he was afraid if he had fallen he wouldn't have gotten back up. Don had his arms wrapped firmly around his plastron, his hands rubbing his arms as if he were trying to calm him.

An unexpected wave of anger shot through him and he pushed his older brother away. "What the hell is this Donnie?" He snapped, his baby blue narrowed thinly.

He watched as his best friend shifted his weight and rubbed his hands together, guilt washing over his face. "It's not what you think, Mikey. " his voice was reassuring and comforting like always but there something hidden within it.

Something dark and twisted.

What did Mikey think it was? A million thoughts ran through his head; The Shredder had made clones of them and planned to have them destroy one another or Don had invented them as a sick joke. Neither made the young man jump for joy. Truthfully the orange ninja didn't know what to think, his head was spinning with confusion.

The younger turtle shook his head and backed up against the lab wall, his breathing coming in heavy strides. "Tell me what the hell is going on Donnie and don't lie to me. " He wanted to make his voice rough but the words only came out in a timid squeak.

His brother knelt down in front of him, his hands coming to rest on his shell. "Mikey, I need you to breath, okay? In and out. " he demonstrated and Mikey slowly followed suit.

Was he having a panic attack? He wanted to ask Donnie but he couldn't make the words leave the tip of his tongue. His brother brought his hands to his cheeks and stroked his skin, Mikey could feel himself starting to calm down with every stroke of his brother's thumbs.  
"Breathe, Mike. " Don commanded, watching him closely.

The young turtle closed his eyes and forced himself to take in deep breathes. He sat still for a moment until he thought he had collected his thoughts, then and only then was he ready to open his eyes and face Donatello.

His older brother was watching him with worried eyes. Mikey was concerned not because his brother looked he was about to jump him but because it finally seemed like Donnie had lost his mind. Had he really done what Mike thought?

The orange turtle pushed his brother away and got to his feet. He clung to the wall and looked past Donatello into the lab, his blue bays now curious. "Who are they, Donnie?" he asked, his voice a lot smaller than he had hoped.

Mikey glanced back down at his hands and sighed quietly. When he was younger, he use to have dreams of his brother giving into the madness that came with his brilliant mind and it took a hug and reassurance from Donnie to rid him of the nightmares.

"I don't know how to explain Mikey-"

"Don't talk down to me like I'm stupid. "

He narrowed his eyes and shot a look at his older brother. He hated when Raph and Leo talked down to him, most of the time they made him feel useless and unproductive. Mikey had learned to just let their snide comments slid but it always got to him when Donnie regarded him as nothing more than the dirt under his feet. "I am perfectly capable of following whatever you have to tell me, Donatello. " Muttered Mikey, his arms crossed.

Donnie's lips turned up into a small smile, his hazel nut eyes swimming with comfort. "I know you can, Mike. I would never say that you were stupid, I was just saying that I don't know how to tell you. You cut me off before I could finish. " he answered, "They're from the future and if what the other you said is true, thirty years into the future. "

Mike froze and gave his brother a blank look.

"I thought you said you were capable of following me?" Don laughed softly, grinning at him.

Mikey glared back at his best friend, "I am but you're ridiculous if you think I'm going to believe these two are from the future. "

"Mikey, we've been to different dimensions, fought aliens and almost had our shells handed to us by rogue ninjas, why wouldn't time travel be possible?"

"Good point."

The two lapsed into silence, unsure of what to talk about. Mikey offered a hand to his brother and Don took it without thinking. He wasn't scared to admit that he was a little scared to see himself in the future, he always had that worry in the back of his mind about what he might turn out to be like.

He followed after his brother, keeping his head down as they slipped into the medical bay. Leatherhead was seated across the room, glasses and lab coat on. He bobbed his head and smiled at Mikey as they entered but didn't move from his spot. From where they were standing, it looked like LH was jotting down notes onto a clip board.

Swallowing down the last tracing of fear, Mikey stepped out from behind Donnie. He blinked and looked down at the older turtle in front of him.

He didn't know what to think, to be honest. The turtle laying in front of him looked like him, even sported the same colour bandanna but he didn't look like him. He was older, years older in fact and only had one arm. Mikey could see where Don had done work on the poor creature but years of war had left permanent scaring.

"What happened to him?" He asked,trying to keep his voice strong.

Mike was grateful when his brother placed a hand on his shell, "I don't know. He didn't specifically tell me what happened to him and Raphael. "he shrugged and walked over to the older Mikey, "But from what he told him he and our family went through a lot. "

Sadness engulfed him like fire spreading across water. "That's going to be what our future holds? Pain and suffering." Mikey didn't like the sound of that. He didn't want his family to suffer, not now, not ever.

"I'm not sure Mikey, he said he was here for a reason but he passed out before he could tell me."

"What about him?"Mikey jerked his head towards their older brother, "What's his story?"

Donnie shrugged and sighed softly; Mikey could tell his brother needed sleep, his voice raspy and responses slow. "He hasn't woken up yet. "

"Did you inject him with something?" He asked, "I've never known Raph to stay down for too long. "

"Leatherhead hit him. "

Mikey made a sound in the back of his throat in understanding and slipped out of the lab once again. The concentrated room was suffocating him, he needed to get out and breath. "I'm just going to go and order some pizza. " _and clear my head. _

The turtle silently shut the lab door before him but only just before he heard his brother call to him. "Keep this between us for now, Mike. " Nodding, Mikey slid the metal door shut and disappeared back into the shadows of their home.

It was hours before Donnie made an appearance, the pizza had been ordered and already eaten, only a few pieces had been put aside for their genius brother at the request of master Splinter. Mikey had spent the majority of his time trying to put together what he had discovered with his brother.

Was this really happening or had he finally just dropped down into Don's crazy world?

It scared, no terrified, Mikey to think about the future they could have.

For the rest of the night he avoided his brother, making up whatever excuse he could. He needed time to think, to process everything that had happened between the two of them.

Mikey was sitting in the living room when it happened. The lights flickered off and a loud boom reverberated through the lair. The young turtle scrambled to his feet and yanked the nunchucks from the hostlers on his shell, his stance ready.

"What the shell is going on?" Raph's rough voice cut through the darkness, "I thought the lair was impossible to break into. "

Mike could almost see Don rolling his eyes, "It is when there's power, nut brain. "

"Stop arguing, this isn't the time to be fighting. "

Moving through the front area of the lair, Mikey tried to reach his brothers. He could barely see them through the dim lighting of the backups.

Something hit him. _hard. _The impact was so hard it sent him flying back into the dinning table. Pain shot through his body as the wood split in two under him and black lights danced across his eye lids.

Before he could even recover, a Foot Ninja descending on him, swinging a sword towards his head. Mikey wrapped his nunchuck around the sword and kicked the ninja back a few feet. Jumping up, the young turtle snapped his wrist and received both weapons. "Did you idiots not learn from last time?"

The ninja leap back up like Mikey's hit had done nothing and slid another sword from his back. "You are blind, mutant. " and struck.

"You dudes really tick me off. " Blocking Mikey struck back, hitting the Foot Ninja across the head and thigh. "Maybe you should think of a new career. "

He could hear his brothers fighting around him and before he knew it the ninja he had been fighting had vanished, leaving nothing but the anger coursing through him.

Except.. something was off.

Glancing around at his family, Mikey noticed his older brother wasn't in the room. He frowned and pushed himself off the wall he had been pinned on and worked his way to his father. Splinter was kneeling down, his chest rising and falling quickly, his hands clenching the purple bandanna in his hands.

With a sicking realization Mikey discovered that Donnie was gone.


	9. Nothing Left To Say

**A/N: So sorry for the wait but I've been busy with the last few weeks of school and work. I had this chapter all planned out and everything and then things got in the way, like Iron Man 3 for example, but I've buckled down these past few days and worked away at it. **

**I'd like to thank all the people reading this story, I know it may be a little confusing at times, my brain is full of ideas and the confusion kind of translates onto paper, but I am glad that you are enjoying this story. I actually love this ficlet of mine even though I know a lot of research and materials is going to have to happen in order for it work probably but I'm willing to work at it. **

**I own nothing, even thought I love Donnie. **

**Warning; A small warning for Raph and Mikey's mouths.**

**Listen to Nothing Left To Say by Imagine Dragons, it's kind of the inspiration that kick my butt into gear.**

**Enjoy and thanks again! (:**

* * *

Donatello realized two things when he opened his eyes; first he was no longer in the lair and second he was pinned to a large metal object with his arms bound. Judging by the lack of security and foot symbolizes over all the boxes, he was somewhere in the Shredder's palace-somewhere Oroku Saki could keep an eye on him but pushed back so far that no one would easily find him.

Don flexed his fingers and toes to make sure they were still working and sighed with relief as they carried out his command, the room he was held in was relatively small considering the size of the building, a total of three lights hung from the ceiling, dimly lighting up the dusty room.

The rom was used for storage, he guessed. It surprised him really that Shredder hadn't held him in a more secure location, Don could easily escape if he really wanted- one flick of his hand and he'd be out..expect he didn't have his tools.

Maybe the foot were more smart than he gave them credit for.

How was he always getting himself into these situations? Don actually hadn't done anything this time, the foot had hacked into his system, how on earth they did that was beyond him, his codes were nearly impossible to break into, Donatello had designed and altered most the encryption himself, and kidnapped him while they kept his brothers busy.

His brothers..both from the future and the present. He wasn't sure how'd Leo and Raph would handle meeting their older counter parts. His older brothers didn't handle change very well. Donnie was sure Rebellion Leonardo from the future was somewhere overseeing the return of his brothers.

But he couldn't be sure. The masked figure that Leo and Raph had brought in a few days earlier held the same structure as Leonardo did but there was something different about him- almost like the years of war had weighed down the teenager that had once lived inside him.

Donnie had wanted to ask his master about it but he was taken before he had gotten a chance. All he had now was a scientific guess.

He had spent days with the older Mikey and hadn't learned a thing about why they had come back to the past. Don had wanted to learn everything he could about their counter parts but Mikey hadn't offered anything he could go on.

All he had gotten from his younger brother was that The Shredder had taken over the world, Mike gave no explanation why or how just that there had been a lot of pain and misery with his rise to power.

Donnie tried to pull his hands out of the restrains holding him down but gave up when he realized it was pointless. He didn't have a chance escaping, everything he needed was back in the lair and his brothers had no idea where he was. He couldn't be in New York, the atmosphere was much to cold, it was the dead of summer and the room he was stationed in kept dropping every few minutes. Then again.. he could just be in a room set to drop cooler whenever he moved.

If that was the case, he didn't have long to live.

The genius lifted his head as a pair of shoes clicked down the hall- Karai was the first person to come to mind. The pattern of the steps was light and well formed but the clicking from the heel could only suggest female. His suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later when Karai stopped in front of him.

She had on the foot uniform and her long black hair was thrown into a messy bun. Don wasn't able to pick out her thoughts, usually he was able to tell what a person was thinking just by their facial features but Karai's face was stone cold.

"Hello, Donatello. " Her voice was cold but the thick Japanese accent was so strong Donnie could have easily picked out her nationality. "It's such a shame we had to meet under this.. conditions."

Donnie could understand now, why his brother had allowed apart of himself to fall for the lethal ninja. She wasn't like anyone they had ever come across before and a part of him believed that she did care for them, in her own twisted kind of way.

He kept his eyes forward, never speaking a word as the woman walked around him. "I really did care you and your brothers, Donatello. However. "She touched the tender spot on his shoulder and spoke into his ear. "I have a duty to my father and I can not go against his word. You have to understand, under different circumstances, I would not want harm to come to either of you. "She squeezed on his broken shoulder blade and sent a spasm of pain through his body.

Don had to bite down onto his lip to keep from screaming out. "I am truly sorry for the battle about to come your way, Donatello. I hope you are strong enough to make it back to your brothers alive. " She tossed him back against the wall and this time when his shell came in contact with the wall, Donnie did yelp out in pain.

He could have sworn he saw a sly grin slip onto Karai's face as she slipped out of the hall way, but he was to busy whimpering in pain to take notice.

* * *

Raphael's eye shot open and instantly went for the missing sai usually boosted on his hip. "What the hell.." he muttered to the empty space around him. He slowly sat up off the hard medical bed and looked around the small hospital wing. His brother was asleep a few beds away, his arm draped over his eyes to shield out the light.

He worked slowly to get to his feet, making sure to ease the nausea spreading through his body. Once he found his feet, Raph made his way over to the other bed and gently nudged the turtle awake. "Mikey, wake up. "He hissed, shaking his head as his brother only groaned and told him the fuck off under his breath.

"What did you say to me knuckle head?"

"Fuck off. "replied Mikey with the same bravery, never seeming to phrased that this was Raphael, the same brother who use to beat him up just for the hell of it.

He rolled his eyes and yanked the blanket from under his baby brother, his shady eyes narrowing. "Get up, lazy ass. We have things to do. I'm sure Leo has already found his way here. "He ignored the death glare Mikey was giving him and slipped the pair of sai back into his belt.

Raph slipped the leather jacket back onto his arms and sighed quietly. This was to familiar, to safe. It was almost like they had forced themselves back into the happy pendant family they failed to keep together.

It was making him sick.

"Leo wouldn't come here, Raph. "Mikey muttered, his voice hoarse. "He has to much to deal with back home, he doesn't care what we do back here, he made that clear. "

He knew Mike was referring to the conversation the three of them had years ago once they figured Donnie had built a safety switch to change things. Leo had been on board with the whole idea until April fucking O'neil had stuck her nose in. The three of them had the whole thing planned out and the second April caught wind of it, Leo's mind changed. He no longer wanted anything to do with it.

Raph was convinced she was working with Shredder or fucking Leo.

Of course the second was wasn't even possible but to even think about their first ally had turned over to the dark side was like admitting they had lost and he would never admit to such things.

"He's here Mikey, "Pushing the large door open, Raph shook his head. "Leo's an idiot but he can't stay away from a good fight, regardless of the circumstances."

Mikey joined him at the door frame, his baby blues haunted. "He's changed, Leo has I mean. He isn't as careless as he use to be. "Raph had come to realize when his baby brother was lying years ago, he may have grown up but he would always be an open book, and at this moment he was telling the truth, "He hardly fights now, only when he wants to and when he goes he's so careful. " Mike's hands clenched. "It's like he's a afraid to do anything, he has forgotten everything Master Splinter taught us. Leonardo isn't half the turtle he use to be and I for one-"

Raph caught him off with a wave of his hand, "Shut up for a second will you Mikey, I miss the boarding shallow self centered you, at least you were quiet. " He didn't know what it was but since they arrived in the past, their personalities had switched back to the way they were when they were teens. Apart of him enjoyed it, he'd always loved expressing himself but happy go lucky Mikey was driving him crazy.

"Dick head. "

Raph was about to smack his baby brother upside the head when a hand shot out and stopped him. "Raphael, do not hit your brother, have many times have I told you to work through your anger?"

No... it couldn't be. He stepped back, almost stumbling over Mikey in the process. They had known by coming to the past that the possibility of seeing their father was unavoidable but he hadn't prepared himself for it.

All the years of hating Leo and missing his father came crashing down on top of him like a suffocating cloud. He fell to his knees and stared at the ground in front of him with shaking hands. It had been so long since he had thought about Splinter. So long since he had pushed the memory of their happy family to the back of his head, now it was a mistake, a forgotten memory in his bank of hatred.

As far as he was concerned his family had died along side Master Splinter and now.. now his father was crouching down in front of him with his familiar rags and a concerned look on his face. Raph barely took notice to the three turtles standing a few feet behind him, they were of little interest to him, they were a little piece to the large puzzle in his head.

"Raphael, my son. "He couldn't help the way he flinched away when Splinter laid his hand upon his head, "It is alright my child. Everything is alright. "his voice was so soothing, so caring that it almost broke his heart to remember how weak and black it had been when he died.

Slowly raising his head, Raph looked up at his father with his good eye and frowned. Every failure since Donnie's disappearance dropped down to him like a tone of bricks, every promise he had made to Splinter had been broken, every whisper of hope forgotten because of his pride and pity.

At the drop of hat, he had abandoned his family; Left Leo to figure how to build back New York and whatever was left of their family and left Mikey to slip into the shadows like the trained ninja he was only to come out as someone completely different.

Just like Splinter had feared and Shredder had hoped, he had failed his family.

Raph froze as the old rat's hand dropped down to his cheek and wiped away the single tear that had dripped down from his eye, "You are safe now my son, "a warmth engulfed him so deeply that it spread through his entire body and cracked the rough exterior he'd spent decades building.

And left nothing but a man fighting his own demons.

For the first time in years, Raphael bowed his head and sobbed into his father's arms.


	10. Family Conflict

A/N: Huge thanks to Mama May-Eye whose been able to follow my aweful train of thought and edit my work.

I own nothing!

All feedback welcome

* * *

It had been a long time since Raphael witnessed rage course through his younger brother's body. After his melt down, he had gotten to his feet and hooked his arm around the younger brother to keep a strong hold on him because he was certain Mikey was about to jump the trio in front of him. "Calm down, bone head," he hissed, glaring down at the younger turtle.

"They let the foot take him!" Mikey snapped, "These idiots allowed the Footclan to take Donatello!"  
Raph tugged on Mikey's bandanna, his eyes flashing. "They didn't let them take him, Mike, calm the hell down and breathe."

He placed a hand on his brother's plastron and slowly he felt the orange banded turtle relax under him. He waited a few moments to make sure Mikey was calm before releasing his hold on him. "Don't make me hit you again," he warned, crossing his arms over his chest as Mike met his glare evenly.

It hadn't surprised him, the way Mikey reacted to Don's disappearance. Their whole reason for returning was to prevent their brother's death and evidently they had failed.

They had always been close, Donnie and Mike. His disappearance had been the hardest on the youngest member of their family- he blamed himself mostly, although Raph knew he had no reason to. None of them knew what had become of their brother or why he suddenly just vanished out of thin air.

He knew Mikey never got over it and judging by the tremblings tracing his hands he was still dealing with the aftermath.

The room around them was deadly quiet; their younger counterparts were standing a few feet from them with confused expressions on their faces. Their father stood between the two groups, ready to leap in if need be.

His hand subconsciously slipped into his younger brother's as their sensei strode towards him, his old wise eyes watching them closely. "Michelangelo, my son." Raphael grimaced as Mikey held his hand in a death grip, "Calm yourself, my child."

He was concerned with what his baby brother would do, he wasn't the same turtle their sensei had spent years raising. That Mikey had been gone for years. In the corner of his eye, Raph watched as his brother retreated back into his shell, desperately trying to hide the mask of fear on his face.

Mikey tugged his head from his own and turned away from the group, his hand clenched at his side, "You aren't my father." He addressed Master Splinter with such coldness Raph was sure their father would have back-handed him if it had been another situation. "My father died many years ago along with the rest of my family." Without so much as another word, Michelangelo vanished out of the lair.

Raph stood there unable to mask the complete shock he was feeling. He had never known Mikey to be so...blunt. Maybe leaving all those years ago had affected his brother more then he originally thought. They never really talked about it since Raph had left New York and vowed never to return. It was better that way. It meant he didn't have to face all the failures he had built around himself or look into the eyes of the brother he almost killed.

He sighed quietly, running a hand over his face in frustration. He couldn't even look in Splinter's direction - he was afraid of the heartbreaking expression that would be on the old rat's face. "I'm sorry about Mikey. He's still kind of lost after everything that happened." Raph played a larger role in that than he would care to admit.

Splinter cleared his throat quietly, as if trying to swallow down the lump in his throat, and turned to him. "Do not fret, my son, Michelangelo is still dealing with the grief; he will come to terms with what happened." He placed a hand on Raph's shoulder and ducked back into his room, leaving Raph with his sons.

He needed to find his brother. There was no telling what kind of trouble Mikey could get in. They hadn't had so much freedom in years and his dark younger brother was bound to go looking for something or someone to hit.

Just as he was about to follow Mikey, Leonardo's younger counterpart stopped him with the hilt of his sword. Raph had forgotten just how brave his older brother was - his Leonardo was a coward, a turtle hiding behind the rebellion he had failed to maintain. Despite the anger on the younger turtle's face, Raph smirked. "What, are you going to stop me from leaving?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I will if I have to," Young Leo snipped back, his grip on the weapon tightening. "It's best to leave Mikey to his own findings. He'll calm down eventually. "

Who did this guy think he was? He knew nothing of the hardships that were destined to fall on them. "You're quite amusing, Leonardo. Even at this age you're still a pain in the ass."

His young older brother glared back at him, his brown eyes staring him down. "You have no right to come in here and-"

"Stop before you hurt yourself, Fearless."

Leo's nickname sounded foreign in his ears. It had been years since he had used it, it was always Leonardo, not Leo or Fearless. His eldest brother lost that right years ago. He narrowed his own eyes and pushed the weapon down from his face. The other two turtles came to stand behind Leo, their stance ready. Raph's heart all but stopped, they hadn't been a family in so long.

He missed it. He missed picking on Mikey everyday, he missed challenging Leo every chance he got and he missed tormenting Donnie about whatever invention he had conjured up that day. Most importantly, he missed the father that held them in place.

He pushed the depressing thoughts from his mind and stepped past his brothers. He couldn't meet his younger counterpart's eye - he knew he would have too much to own up to and Raph wasn't ready to take that next step.

"He's right, Raphael, you don't have any authority here." Leonardo stumbled out of Splinter's room, his eyes fixed on him. His brother looked beaten and worn down, the same way their father had looked when he died. "Stop being a pain."

It had almost been twenty years since they last spoke and he was afraid he'd go off on his older brother again. "And you have no authority over me, Leonardo. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go and find our baby brother before he gets himself into trouble."

Raph froze as Leonardo's hand shot out and stopped him. "We have to do this as a team, Raph," he muttered.

"We haven't been a team in twenty years," Raphael snapped back. "Don't expect me to drop everything and follow blindly after you because it's not going to happen again. You lost that fight when you gave up on Donnie."

He knew he had gone too far but he didn't care; the hatred towards his brother was hard to suppress and control. He usually struck without thinking and hardly ever dealt with the consequences.  
He didn't see the need to do so.

Leonardo struck him with enough force to send him stumbling back. "I never gave up on him! I had people to protect, a family to maintain. I couldn't just drop everything and continuing searching for him. Did you ever think Donatello didn't want to be found, that he left us in the hands of the Shredder because he wanted to!"

No. He refused to believe that their brother had just given up on them. Donnie wasn't like that, he cared deeply for all of them. "You gave up on him before we even had a chance to pronounce he was dead," he growled back, taking hold of his brother's plastron with both hands. "You left him to die in the hands of whoever took him."

His whole body trembled with rage. The other three turtles gathered behind the two of them, unsure of what to do. Raph held his older brother in a death grip for a few moments before releasing him. "A word of advice, Leonardo, stay out of my way. If you even consider trying to stop me, I will knock you into next week." He tossed his older brother aside and slipped out of the lair.

* * *

Days went by without so much as a word from the Foot or the Shredder. Donnie was starting to think that kidnapping him served no purpose and that it was just another gimmick to get back at Master Splinter but he really should have known better.

The Shredder didn't do anything without a reason. He was always two steps ahead of them; even when his family thought they were years ahead of the criminal mastermind, he was light years ahead of them.

It actually didn't surprise him all that much. When they had their first encounter with the Shredder they weren't even in his league. It had been dumb luck on their part, the defeat of Oroku Saki, and it had been quickly realized that their cockiness was short-lived when they almost lost Leo.

After that they didn't underestimate him, his brothers were always careful, always calculating the best alternative but still…it was never enough. No matter how hard they tried Shredder always managed to get under their skins.

First Leo, then Master Splinter. The lethal ninja always seemed to know where to hit them the hardest to cause the most damage.

Donnie couldn't count on his hand how many times he had almost lost a member of his family to the Foot clan. He was tired of waking up every day worried sick that one of his brothers hadn't returned from the night before or that April had been apprehended during the night.

A part of him hated that they had gone to the surface all those years ago - it had been nothing but pain and misery since their encounter with the human world, but he couldn't regret meeting April and Casey and all the friends that came with their adventures.

Donny just wished he had a way to guarantee his family's safety. The last thing he wanted to do was lose one of his brothers or his father.

When the large metal door swung open and Shredder appeared before him, Donatello suddenly wished he had been a little more careful with his choice of words.

"Don't get too comfortable, turtle. We have much to discuss."


	11. Leonardo's Bindings

A/N: So sorry for the wait on this ._. Life got caught up with me but I finally finished it. Hopefully the other chapters will come sooner.

I own nothing!

Thanks again to Mama May-Eye for editing this!

* * *

Leonardo stood in the threshold of his old home with an odd expression on his face. His dark spectacles had been forgotten - laid on the ground in his old master's room - his twin katana resting comfortably on his shell, and the old trench coat hid his scars somewhat discreetly but he could still feel his brother's trained eyes on him.

His talk with Raphael had not gone as he planned - instead, they were facing off once again in the heat of battle.

When had he lost all control of his bindings? Had Master Splinter been right all along or had Leonardo simply pushed his responsibilities to the side as they ventured into the brink of war? To even think such things left a nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had made a promise , a plead really, to his father that he would keep his family alive and together. However they were further apart than they had been in decades.

And it was all his fault. Leonardo knew it was. He had no reason to even be bothered with denying it when his brother had thrown it back in his face.

He had thrown himself into the rebellion that was bound to fail because it was easier than dealing with the consequences of the choices he made. His family's failure was a result of his fear of losing them like he had lost Donatello and Splinter, and instead of drawing them closer, he only pushed them farther away.

"You need to tell us what the hell is going on." Raphael's counterpart was standing a few feet from him, his eyes narrowed and stuck on him. "Now. "

How could he even begin to explain what was happening when Leo didn't understand it himself? His hand fell to the pendant resting on his plastron almost on a whim, and he turned to face his brother. "There is no proper way to explain what is happening," he said. "There are too many variables taking place to explain it with a complete understanding."

Young Raph shot him a look, his hands resting on the blades on his hips. "We don't care about the variables - our brother is missing. You have thirty seconds to start talking or I'll use your head as a practice dummy."

After thirty years of not living with younger brother Leonardo had forgotten just how violent he was.

"What my brother means to say," his own counterpart broke in, glaring at their brother, "is that we want to find Donnie as soon as possible and we need all the information we can gather."

Truth be told he didn't have all the information the young turtles needed. Leonardo was stuck in the same place as he had been all those years ago. Only he was determined to fix things. He would not leave Donatello a second time to die in the hands of their enemy.

He had let Donnie down once. He would not do it again.

The younger version of Michelangelo was the only quiet one in the room. He was standing a few feet away from their group, his hands resting on his weapons. Leonardo couldn't help but notice the way his baby brother had avoided him ever since he came into the room. His heart ached to reach out to Mikey but he had no idea what was going through the other turtle's head.

Finally Michelangelo spoke up, addressing only his older siblings. "I know who has Donnie," he mumbled gravely.

He knew? How could Mikey of all people know where Donnie was?

Leonardo cringed at his stupidity. It all made sense now, why Mikey had always felt so guilty and blamed himself for Don's disappearance. He knew more than he was leading on. The two of them had always been close. From what he knew, Donnie told Mikey everything.

His eyes narrowed and before he knew what he was doing, he had seized the young turtle. "What the hell do you know, Michelangelo?" he growled lowly. "Tell me before I have to force it out of you."

His alternate younger brother froze under him but made no movement to get away, his blue eyes staring up with such intensity Leonardo was sure the other turtle was going to deck him. "He was right. I didn't - couldn't - believe him, but he was right. You have changed." Mikey spat back, his voice shaking with emotion.

"Who was right?" He asked, his hands tightening on the brother. "Who had the balls to say anything against me?" He already knew who it was, he was just looking for someone else to say it.

"Michelangelo."

Leonardo froze. That was not the answer he had expected. He thought Mikey was going to say Raph; his younger brother had always made it clear how much he hated him but...his baby brother?

That didn't seem possible.

His baby brother had been there every step of the way, guiding and protecting him. Mikey was the only thing that was keeping him afloat. Now...now he didn't even have him anymore.

Leonardo was truly alone.

A hand came roughly down on his shell and pulled him off Mikey.

"Get the hell away from him." Raphael stood in front of the orange turtle, his brown eyes narrowed. "Just leave; go find your brothers and go back where you came from. "

Mikey was slowly standing back up, grabbing a hold of the red-clad turtle's shell for support. "It's fine, Raph," he muttered, brushing past him. "He's the only person who can help us with this, even if he is a huge pain in the ass."

Leonardo couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was going down the drain again.

"We will work with him," his counterpart glared towards him with a hateful gaze, "But only because we need to find Donnie. If he makes one move towards Mikey, strike him down. "

"Done," Raph muttered in return, glancing over at him.

Leonardo was numb, he didn't know what to think. He had been betrayed by April and now his baby brother.

"Why were you going to attack Mikey?"

Leonardo turned his gaze towards the alternate Raph's voice, "I did not mean to attack him, something came over me. I'm sorry, Michelangelo." He shook his head and sighed deeply. "Donatello, our Donatello, disappeared many years ago and my brother Mikey always blamed himself. I always suspected he knew more than he was leading on."

"What do you mean 'our Donatello?'" his counterpart asked, eyeing him.

Leonardo knew he would have to explain this but he really didn't want to go into too much detail about what had happened. Then again, a part of him hoped if he shared what happened it would somehow change how the future would turn out. He found himself torn between telling them or leaving them completely in the dark.

He knew that not telling them would only cause problems, but if he did tell them, what was there to say that they would believe him? They needed all the help they could get with rescuing Donatello. The longer he was in the hands of his kidnappers, the deeper he fell into danger.

The ninja sighed deeply and crossed his arms over his chest. "My brothers and I are from the future - thirty years, in fact. Our Donatello went missing without a trace and to this day we still don't know who took him or why." Leonardo shrugged. "Eventually we had no choice but to forget about finding him and focus on the mission at hand."

"You had no choice?" Raphael growled, clenching his fists. "He's your brother! You had no right to stop searching for him regardless if there was no trace of him! Don would not have given up on you."

Leonardo kept silent, letting his younger brother's words sink in. Their younger selves didn't know what was coming for them or how much the family had changed in the future. If Leonardo was being honest, it wouldn't have surprised him if Don had just left. His young genius brother had grown distant towards them before he disappeared - he had hardly spoke to them unless necessary.

There was no point in telling the other three this, though; he shouldn't cloud their judgment of their brother.

"I had to do what was best for our family," he answered instead, only fueling the red-clad brother's anger.

Raphael's fist shot out and struck him across the face. "And leaving Donnie to die was what was best for the family?"

Leonardo had just barely caught his footing after Raph's punch. "I had no other choice!"

As if all of one mind, the three turtles turned to face him, boxing him in: "You always have a choice!"

* * *

Raphael's feet pounding against the rough pavement of the roads after his brother. He had been following Mikey since he caught his scent but was no closer to catching up to him. His younger brother was fast, he had always been, but this was different - he was driven by anger.

Raphael paused on a building across from Mikey as the young turtle sat down to catch his breath. They weren't young anymore, even the simplest things now came with difficulty. Raph pressed a hand to his chest and also tried to catch his breath. He wished he could just take a deep, relaxing breather of the city sights. He missed this New York, everything was more peaceful and quiet.

Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his eye. Raphael sat up straighter and watched as if in slow motion as the Foot Ninja made his way towards his younger brother. He didn't have enough time to reach Mikey nor the energy to warn him in time to move his shell.

Mikey sat there, completely unaware of the doom coming for him.

All Raph could do was pray his brother noticed before it was too late.


End file.
